A Little Good News

[GordMay]

US sailing vessel Tir Na Nog* Safe After Pirate Attack Threat ~ by Marian Martin
BYM News** - Tuesday, 18 April 2006
http://www.bymnews.com/new/content/view/27703/82/

”... Commander Jeff Breslau, spokesman for the US Navy Fifth Fleet, said that the yacht had issued a distress call, after those on board had been frightened by the sight of people with weapons, but no attack had been made and the vessel was now out of danger.”

Tir na nOg is a 38' Choey Lee ketch, with three (all female) crew on board, and was heading up the Red Sea after having crossed the Indian Ocean via the Andamans and Maldives. They were alarmed by the behaviour of "fishing boats" in their vicinity and had sent out an SOS radio message.

A Navy spokesman confirmed that the yacht had issued a distress call, after spotting "people with weapons", but said no shots were fired and that its three passengers were safe.
"There was no attack and the yacht is still at sea and out of any danger," Commander Jeff Breslau, a spokesman for the U.S. Navy‘s Fifth Fleet, told Reuters by telephone from Bahrain.

This illustrates the sensationalism the prevails, in even the most respected, press & news media. There was no attack, and initial reports on Sunday as updated on Tuesday, still feature the words “Pirate Attack”. I suppose it would be difficult to sell news headlines such as
***"...Not much to print today, can't find nothin' bad to say", because
Nobody robbed a liquor store on the lower part of town
Nobody OD'ed, nobody burned a single buildin' down
Nobody fired a shot in anger, nobody had to die in vain
We sure could use a little good news today ...”

*** From: “A Little Good News” ~ performed by Anne Murray
Written by Charles Black, Rory Bourke, and Thomas Rocco

* The literal translation of Tir na nOg (from Irish Gaelic) is "Land of the Young", and is used to refer to the afterlife.

** BYM News is the world’s leading boating & marine news service, averaging 1800 stories per month, in 3 categories: Product & Industry news, Boating & Watersports news & General Marine news.
Goto: http://www.bymnews.com/new/