Albany Advertiser & Arson

Well its possibly poor form to have a blue with someone on the Interknot, then use another platform on the Interknot to bag them out. But if I'm to do it and it might possibly help reduce the chance of one fire in 100...well so be it.

This however is probably my best effort at a poor impersonation of MediaWatch because this minor country town media outlet fell way below standard & I'm not MediaWatch. Figure I could unload an edited version on the actual thread but chances are it'd get deleted or I'd get blocked or both. So here we are. Scroll right down to see the exchange in its natural state but from this point forward, I'll break it up into sections, bit by bit. Overview is simply I posted that the Albany Advertiser should stop showing footage of fires and flames and flashing lights that it encourages arsonists, that some get their gratification, others decide to copy and even more still are encouraged in the Hero Syndrome where they light the fire, then join in to put it out.

Read on as we break up the Newspapers comments (in bold italics) into bite size portions for proper digestion...

"Its our job to report on what's happening"
Yes, no dispute there, but you're a newspaper so you can actually report without putting video footage up on your FB page.
"Perhaps if someone sees the extent of the fire they will come forward with information"
Really? Perhaps you should tell us how successful footage of flames is as a tool for generating intel from the public? Facts & data, all ears ;-)

"Emergency services have not requested we run less footage"You'll surely know that suicides are not reported on TV News for very good reasons, unless they meet very specific circumstances. You knew that right?
I'll contact some emergency services over the next few days and see if you can be contacted. Perhaps request that you not "run less footage" but not run any at all.

"The cause of the fire is yet to be determined"Are you so sure? You know that is irrelevant. Arsonists see fires, arsonsists are capable of being encouraged to light fires. Your odd logic (and I loosely use the term logic) is on this occasion because it hasn't yet been declared an act of arson,  another firebug won't light one. It suggests it needs an announcement it was arson...which you will relay as reporters strangely. It also highlights the absurdity that because the fire wasn't deliberately lit someone will not be inspired by footage to light another.
Please do report, but halt the footage. A newspaper doesn't need to do that. Sole defence at this stage is, emergency services haven't told you to stop, doing it could help the flow of information leading to an arrest & the cause hasn't been announced.
That's 3 loads of bollocks so far...but lets continue, because you absurdity did.

"Also worth noting that Australian Criminologists have dismissed the idea of arsonist getting gratification, or as you so eloquently put it "jollies" from lighting fires"
Hmm...using the term "as you eloquently put it" is an age old put down, drenched in equal measures of sarcasm and derision to lessen the argument without using actual intellectual rigor. We will let that slide, but it is noticed and noted.
DISMISSED? WHEN, BY WHOM???
WHICH Australian Criminologists? One thing is for sure, the Australian Institute of Criminology has a publicly available document on arson (SEVERAL ACTUALLY) that directly relate to copy cats & serial arsonists. You find it by typing "copy cat arsonist" into google and you'll find it. Interesting is it says around 22% of fires are likely to be "copy cat" so reading and breaking that stat down in its most simplistic form, you could reduce deliberately lit fires by lessening the reporting. Now if its a bland text only type of reporting then the word gets reported and if you only reduce copy cat arson by 5% its well worth it.
In any case, waiting to see which Australian Criminologists don't think fire footage sparks more arson for any reason. There is a recognised established and demonstrable link between footage & fire lighting.

"Its generally an anti social behaviour like vandalism, but with more serious consequences"
Ahhh says who, as you haven't cited who, we can only assume at this stage that's a view or opinion.
It seems to counter what another report from the Australian Institute of Criminology sets out (below) in blue are some of the motives for arson...Please note the highlighted and underlined last sentence. Seems exactly what I was suggesting and totally opposite to what you are rejecting. Not a just a little bit, but totally contrary to your claim. Which you haven't cited or backed up at all. It must be a feeling or opinion.

revenge, usually against an employer, lover or institution;

excitement or relief of boredom;

vandalism, often influenced by peer pressure;

attention seeking, as a 'cry for help' or to gain recognition and 'hero status';

financial gain, including insurance fraud and for other business purposes;

crime concealment, often to remove physical evidence;

political, as a form of protest or as a weapon of terror;

no discernible motive, perhaps under the influence of a mental illness;

mixed or unclear, where fire may achieve several purposes or the motive is not apparent; and

child firesetting, which can differ in many ways from adult firesetting.

Revenge is a factor in many cases of arson. A sacked employee may burn down a company's premises. A jilted lover may respond by setting fire to a former partner's home or car. A troubled student may attack his or her school. Sometimes the anger may be displaced onto a more general target, such as a public facility or even a bushland area.
The sights and sounds of sirens, uniforms, equipment and action as fire services respond to a blaze can provide thrills and a source of activity that motivates some people to start fires.

( http://www.aic.gov.au/publications/current%20series/bfab/1-20/bfab004.html )

And here's yet another Australian report from Australian Criminologists...it looks at the complexity of pyromania as a term and covers some of the motivations of a pyromaniac (again in blue) and note the highlighting of number 4.

The diagnostic criteria for pyromania are:

1. deliberate and purposeful firesetting on more than one occasion;
2. tension or emotional arousal before the act;
3. intense interest, curiosity or fascination about fire (which can include fire equipment and the consequences of fire);
4. pleasure, gratification or relief when setting or witnessing fires and their aftermath;
5. the firesetting is not done for another motive such as financial gain, anger or revenge, to gain recognition or to relieve boredom, and is not done in response to a delusion or hallucination or due to impaired judgment (such as through intoxication); and
6. the firesetting is not better accounted for by conduct disorder, antisocial personality disorder or a manic episode.

It leaves the Albany Advertiser in a strange position, it has said they haven't been asked not to, their intention is to encourage people to offer information to authorities and Australian Criminologists don't believe footage affects any fire lighters.
If people aren't influence to light fires, why are they influenced to offer information or how are people influenced to by anything at all if there's, heck I dunno...say advertising?
Kind of makes the bulk of the Tuesday & Thursday editions pretty pointless as most of it is advertising and perhaps it doesn't work sometimes and works other times.

Worst gripe at all is pushing a line about "Australian Criminologists" who have "dismissed" that fire bugs are encouraged or gratified by seeing footage when clearly that is actually false and misleading of you. Its a personal view or opinion based on no solid science and just a quick and convenient way of hopefully quelling a critic that could halt an opportunity to sensationalise a dangerous event.

You're going to have to lift your game, cite sources when you make claims and err on the side of caution when it comes to public safety. Odd set of Standard Operating Procedures.

BTW I'm a trained volunteer bush fire brigade member of 32 years experience. I make my living off the land. Until recently I was Chairman of the Highway Bushfire Brigade and I've been sitting with my Fire Control Officers ticket for over 20 years. Just saying...