Media and press: replies

Accidents always lead to articles in the regional or national press, which we all read, mainly online. Since 2015, the Bureau Enquête Analyse (BEA) has systematically investigated fatal accidents and publishes its investigations in less than a year. The Gendarmerie des Transports Aériens handles the judicial side. The federation is in daily contact with the BEA and the GTA, in liaison with the DGAC.

Ill-timed public statements by various people, however legitimate, rarely bring peace of mind to the families of victims or help the investigation. A general conclusion cannot be drawn from a single event. Flight safety is only meaningful over the long term. A clumsy intervention or an eye-catching headline can ruin the long work of instructors and clubs at local level.

The federation systematically responds with rights of reply when a media outlet spreads inaccurate or inappropriate information, as happened recently with the Nouvelle-République and Midi-Libre in two fatal accidents. The very high volatility of public opinion, the weakening of quality media with specialist journalists, and the narcissistic temptation to say everything about everything without a filter all reinforce a trend that is not constructive.

We must all make an effort to reply appropriately, hiding nothing but respecting the pace required, on the one hand by grief, and on the other by the lessons-learned process.

Sébastien Perrot

President of the French Microlight Federation