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The Forum > Article Comments > Why it matters that Greenpeace lied and the press doesn't seem to care > Comments

Why it matters that Greenpeace lied and the press doesn't seem to care : Comments

By Graham Young, published 12/1/2006

Graham Young asks why mainstream journalists have accepted Greenpeace's claims to be rammed when they are obviously the aggressor.

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Graham: I wondered too about those tell tale photos. But in tit for tat between ships down in those rough Antarctic waters I reckon this issue remains a storm in a teacup.
Posted by Taz, Thursday, 12 January 2006 7:48:36 AM
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Graham, I can't help but note that the ABC article you refer to is dated 9 January (6am no less). The Japanese footage only hit the media yesterday, two days later. Perhaps you would like all reporters to wait a couple of weeks just to see if anything else eventuates whenever they are reporting a news article.

In addition, I think you're really clutching at straws if you consider the article you have referred us to as either biased or wrong. It is reporting that Greenpeace and Japan's "Institute of Cetacean Research" are accusing each other of ramming their own ship. In other words, providing the public with all the facts available at the time, with no overtones of personal feelings or opinions.

Perhaps you could encourage the Institute of Cetacean Research to publish its press releases earlier in the interests of good reporting?

Incidentally, you state (and after badmouthing the press, I have no doubt that you have your facts correct) that the Japanese boat was conducting its "research" in Australian Antarctic waters when the incident occured. I look forward to a response from the Institute of Cetacean Research as to why it was whaling in Australian waters.
Posted by Jude, Thursday, 12 January 2006 8:00:08 AM
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As a greeny myself I can't stand Greenpease that said the media well.
I think just about all media outlets stopped employing Journo years ago most are now opinion writers(usually having done in their lives other then write uninformed opinion pieces) and copy editors of Govern, Company, NGO and pressure groups press releases. The ABC media watch could easily be a 1 hour 7 day a week show.
Posted by Kenny, Thursday, 12 January 2006 8:15:29 AM
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What a peurile, biased article, Grahame. I think it is by no means clear who rammed who in the Southern Ocean and probably never will be clear. What is clear is that you are a reactionary critic, targetting those 2 old favourites of the right, Greenpeace and the ABC. My impression of the ABC reporting is that it has reported claim and counter claim over who may have been at fault.

Your article does not go to the main point of the whole matter. There is an international agreement banning whaling, and Japan keeps flouting it on spurious 'research' grounds. No-one except Greenpeace is doing anything to make the Japanese accountable. Why not? Because governments like ours are too weak and afraid of upsetting a powerful trading partner like Japan.

In the interests of balance and fairness that Grahame is championing, we can look forward to an article soon from him on this aspect of the conflict in the Southern ocean. Somehow I think not. Much easier to look for leftie bias in the media, hey?
Posted by PK, Thursday, 12 January 2006 9:07:34 AM
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In Iraq our troops are protecting Japanese soldiers while their countrymen are harpooning our multi million dollar whale watching industry. Its only a matter of time until they run out of minke whales and I doubt that their "research" will stop then.Are we still that primitave that we wipe out a species to protect it?
Posted by aspro, Thursday, 12 January 2006 9:12:57 AM
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Come on‚ who are we supposed to believe Graham? You, quoting Jennifer, quoting other views on the web. It's third hand by this point at least. Or prehaps we should believe someone who was there at the time, is paid very little money, has no ulterior profit motive for being there and belongs to a group dedicated to non violence. Or maybe the next story will be about Greenpeace blowing up a French ship in Auckland harbour?

Here's the direct account:

8 January 2006
Their desperate measures by Shane, onboard the Arctic Sunrise

After the horrific sights of the last few days, things took a turn towards the unexpected this morning. The factory ship, the Nisshin Maru, rammed our ship the Arctic Sunrise, in an incident none of us were expecting. All the details are posted here on this blog, but I thought I would reflect on it from a personal perspective, since I was on the bridge of the Sunrise at the time of the collision.

It all happened very quickly. One minute the Nisshin Maru was tied up with the re-supply vessel, offloading whale meat, the next it was heading straight for us. ...
So was it deliberate? I have no doubt. The Nisshin Maru turned a big circle to come around to where we were. When they started, the re-supply vessel was between us and them - they had to come around it to get to us. Why else would you make such a manoeuvre? And the guy with the water cannon - surely that was premeditated, and it was certainly an act of aggression.
...

And the worst part of all of this? I believe it was a deliberate attempt to create an incident and draw attention away from the terrible images we have seen in the last days of whales suffering cruel and slow deaths. For the whalers it is much better to be talking in shades of grey about who crashed in to who, our word versus theirs, than talking about the black and white reality ...

Full version:
http://weblog.greenpeace.org/oceandefenders/archive/2006/01/their_desperate.html
Posted by Craig Enfield, Thursday, 12 January 2006 9:41:40 AM
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