Malaysia Airlines Flight 370, which disappeared in the early morning hours of March 8, after takeoff from Kuala Lumpur en route to Beijing, has been the source of many questions and very few answers. At least 26 countries are or have been in search of the Boeing 777 airliner and it’s 239 passengers and crew for the past 11 days, and counting. As news stories go, this one has captivated the focus of multiple news outlets. In fact, for at least one cable outlet, it has been elevated to virtually 24/7 status.
I understand that an Airline finding itself with a missing aircraft, 239 missing passengers, and a missing crew, is a huge deal. That the passengers and crew have been missing for nigh on two weeks makes for unfathomable tension, frustration, fear, and a host of other emotions for families and friends. Yet, I am stunned by the ability of agencies, which purport to report the news, to continue to conceive new and more creative ways to say I/we don’t know what happened to the plane, the passengers, or the crew, but…here, dear viewer, is our newest unsubstantiated theory.
In no small way, this phenomenon appears to take a potential tragedy, and leverage from it, every available ounce of emotional capital. That the practice has led to a ratings bonanza makes it completely understandable, in an, “it’s just a calculated business decision” kind of way. Yet, for an industry that was once relied upon to report the news, rather than gin up, and spread conjecture, it should be equally understood that the decision to operate in this way fundamentally changes the dynamic of what heretofore was called the news cycle, and not in a good way. This epic spate of “reporting” may not represent the all time nadir of on air news, but it the current sequence continues uninterrupted much longer the question must at least be debated.
We live in the age of connectivity; a time in which transcontinental travel is routine, and in which communication is both constant and omnipresent. We are accustomed to using Global Positioning Systems (familiarly known as GPS) to track our movements via mobile phones, automobiles, trains, and even airplanes. Consequently, when our 12st Century advanced technology is stumped, we, understandably, are at a real loss. Unfortunately, this is exactly the case in which we find ourselves, as we attempt to unravel the “Mystery of (the missing) Flight 370.
I will not submit to the temptation to add to the litany of theories that abound about what might have happened, what could not have happened, what did not happen, nor what will happen next, as it relates to Flight 370. Instead, I will simply implore anyone who will listen to consider responding with a concise and earnest reply, no comment, to any question posed, “When No News Is All the News You Have!”
I’m done; holla back!
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Consult the links below for more detailed information on a variety of aspects relating to this post:
http://www.cnn.com/2014/03/18/world/asia/malaysia-airlines-plane/index.html?hpt=hp_t1
http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2014/03/18/malaysia-scenarios/6559209/
http://www.ksdk.com/story/news/nation/2014/03/18/mh370-leading-theories/6576271/
http://www.cbsnews.com/videos/eye-opener-the-mystery-of-flight-370-takes-another-turn/
http://www.cnn.com/2014/03/17/world/asia/malaysia-plane-up-to-speed/
http://www.cnn.com/2014/03/17/world/asia/malaysia-airlines-plane-fascination/
http://abcnews.go.com/blogs/politics/2014/03/sunday-on-this-week-the-mystery-of-flight-370/
BREAK IT DOWN! 