Sami (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
sami) wrote in ![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png)
accessibility_fail2011-02-09 04:35 pm
sami) wrote in accessibility_fail2011-02-09 04:35 pm
Channels Seven and Nine (Australia) think deaf people should drown.
Recently, Australia has been hit by some severe natural disasters; in particular, Queensland was hit first by flooding, and then by the worst cyclone since at least the '70s. Cyclone Yasi was, in terms of the raw power of the storm, a more severe storm than Hurricane Katrina.
Accordingly, there were a lot of evacuations and preparations to try and minimise the death toll. The Queensland Premier was frequently on television giving updates to vital information about evacuation centres, risk levels, safety warning, etc.
In order to disseminate information effectively, she appeared with a sign language interpreter at her side.
However, as documented by Media Watch, our major networks decided that it would be more important to show more footage of the floods and storm, or just to zoom in for a tight closeup of Anna Bligh, cutting the interpreter out of the shot.
Channel 7's excuse? "For technical reasons we were unable to show you the person signing that media conference and we do apologise for that."
Stupid and craven.
Accordingly, there were a lot of evacuations and preparations to try and minimise the death toll. The Queensland Premier was frequently on television giving updates to vital information about evacuation centres, risk levels, safety warning, etc.
In order to disseminate information effectively, she appeared with a sign language interpreter at her side.
However, as documented by Media Watch, our major networks decided that it would be more important to show more footage of the floods and storm, or just to zoom in for a tight closeup of Anna Bligh, cutting the interpreter out of the shot.
Channel 7's excuse? "For technical reasons we were unable to show you the person signing that media conference and we do apologise for that."
Stupid and craven.
no subject
Regarding the normality of appearing with a signer - it's not really normal at all for a state premier to be making press conference statements like that. I have no idea if Anna Bligh would normally bring one; in general, if a press statement isn't urgent, it's fairly customary just to issue them in writing anyway.
Taking to television for extended public statements just isn't really how Australian government disseminates information. This was unusual, and the context was of an unprecedented crisis in public safety, so it was a case where it was a matter of urgency that the information get out as far and wide and as effectively as possible.
The Queensland government apparently put at least half a second's thought into what was necessary for getting the information out. The TV networks apparently didn't...