Concerning the media, hype, firsts, and factual accuracy

[w00dy]

Rewrote and reposted.

[w00dy]

Yesterday, I read about Gerry Hughes, who recently completed a solo-circumnavigation around the world, who chose to route around the 5 great capes.

http://gerrysmhughes.com/

Quite a voyage. The stuff of legend, though he is following in the footsteps of a few brave souls who have gone before him. These days, sailing around the world alone isn't enough to get you noticed much. Why is it that you're only special if you're the "first" to do something?  This gets into the territory of the personal rewards of the journey vs. perception by others, which is another topic really.

Anyway, Mr. Hughes hardly needs any more distinction, what is especially remarkable is that he is part of the Deaf community, a group of people who are often classified as disabled or impaired. Mr. Hughes has helped to show that the Deaf are just as capable, if not more than the rest of society. He is the first Deaf sailor to solo circumnavigate around the 5 great capes.

I have all the respect in the world for Mr. Hughes, but that didn't stop me from sending a series of admittedly reactionary emails to his website, news desks, and even the news editor for the British Deaf Association when I read the headlines that were being reported by the BBC, Times, etc. which all claimed that he was the first deaf man sail around the world:

http://www.thetimes.co.uk/tto/news/uk/article3759517.ece
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-glasgow-west-22448872

Here is the problem with that claim:

http://www.palaciosbeacon.com/home/features-sailor.shtml

I later apologized as I may have called Mr. Hughes integrity into question without giving him the benefit of the doubt. I'm in no place to judge him or anyone else, for what is probably just a misrepresentation by media staff who missed a bit of fact checking.  He's probably emotionally drained returning to a blitz of people and life ashore. The last thing he probably needs is some armchair internet troll emailing him accusingly. I feel pretty bad about it actually.

Still, it makes me think about the role that the media plays in the public and how their accuracy is often taken for granted. The argument is a bit pedantic and is really all of trivial importance in the grand scheme of things, I guess, but I can't help but feel that if events like this warrant such celebration and publicity, shouldn't it be important that they are reported accurately? Or is the reality that perception and influence are what matters and the rest is just water under the keel?

I guess in the end, publicity is fleeting. Titles and firsts are only meaningful if they can help bring awareness and positive change. The real value and rewards of accomplishments will never come and go with public opinion, but reside within us, where they belong.

Your thoughts on the media, the importance of firsts, the promotion of sailing voyages, etc???

[Captain Smollett]

Personally, I find it sad and spiritually shallow the emphasis that is placed on being "first."

Let me clarify.  There is some merit in a "first" claim when it really is a first.  True first establishes that something can be done...it is within the realm of human possibility.  The first person in space, the first to walk on the moon, the first circumnavigate the globe, the first to do it solo, etc.

Part of the problem with "firsts" is when the first is a defined and arbitrary first.  "Youngest to sail across the Atlantic" does not mean a darn-tooted thing when a 15 year 11 month old does it when the LAST youngest was 16 years old.  It's an arbitrary line.

There is the same thing in mountain climbing.  Look at the stats for Mt. Everest, for example.  First man, first woman, oldest man, oldest woman, youngest, first AMERICAN man, first FRENCH woman, etc.

Where does it end?

If I climbed Mt. Everest, I could claim a first...the first person in my immediate family to do so.  Does that give me some claim to greatness...BEYOND the mere feat itself?

Heck no.

ANYONE that solo circumnavigates the planet has accomplished something most humans have not and will not do.  The deed is its own reward.  Being "first" in some arbitrary, meaningless way is pointless aggrandizement.

And the dichotomy of this whole bit astounds me, actually.  I mean, hundreds of thousands of teens graduate high school each year, and in thousands of commencement speeches, they are told they have accomplished something important...not for being the best, the first, the most colorful...but JUST FOR DOING IT.  For finishing.

So, what is the lesson we then teach with all the media hype on "being the first?"  Was all that stuff about doing good by completing a difficult task just talk and empty words?

Sad, really.

[rorik]

I'm in one of my "why are humans so stupid, shallow, etc" moods (long story - don't ask), so please, take my comments with a dash of salt.

First, Mr. Hughes, according to the BBC, is "first" because he's a Brit.
Second, to answer Smolletts question about the teaching dichotomy:  It's an extrapolation of the "You are unique - just like every other snowflake" principle.
Third, humans keep looking for "new" stories to tell, when in fact there are none. There are only many, many variations on extant themes.
Fourth, humans still need to pigeonhole everything by labeling it - the original tribal "friend or foe" query.

[Travelnik]

Well, Captain Smollett was the FIRST to reply to the original post!

Does he get an award?  ;D

[David_Old_Jersey]

I had a quick looksee at his website:

http://gerrysmhughes.com/

and he was very clear on what he was claiming a first for (and has acknowledged other deaf RTW trips). IMO their is more than enough for him to claim a "first". Whether that means anything or is regarded as a first RTW (for the category) is a personal thing based on what each sees as the proper route - for me it is the proper route for a RTW sailing record, what others (including record keepers) say is not my concern. Not to say that via the canals or once around the antarctic and back is not a feat worthy of celebration (at least by self), but pretty much the same as 1000's of people have walked around the earth, 99.99% of them at each pole! Expecting the non-sailing public to be able to appreciate the difference (or care) on sailing records would be an excercise in pointlessness.

In regard to the Media, I am presuming OP is from the USA and therefore may be under some sort of misaprehension that the BBC and The Times of London are bastions of truth free from lazy journalism or the wish to pander to the need of their audience for simple to understand stories. Certainly in comparison to at least some US news channels they appear that way - but it's style over substance. Not to say that both don't sometimes do good journalism - but simply no mass market for that (and likely never was!) and on a wider front of course both have own agendas to peddle (as much about what is not reported as what is and how).

But to be fair even to the Journalists in this story!, enough truth on the "first" claim to be true. and simply no point in confusing their audience with the qualification or too many details - and that not the fault of the Journos. At the end of the day it is simply a 2 minute story, quickly forgotten by most, but nonetheless worthwhile to do - including to promote the deaf agenda to the wider public, and for that you do need to lay down with dogs etc!

[SalientAngle]

It is actually refreshing to read of chronicles and commentary of the state of journalism without mention of Rupert Murdoch's designs on the fourth estate, cheers !

[Mario G]

Sailing has been around for a very long time so, when I hear first to do any thing, I think of the people that sailed the same waters we all have on wooden ships without the sysyems I see on the boats I have been working on at the boat yard and kind of think that anything done first today isn't worth the hype it gets.

[CharlieJ]

W00dy- just as an interesting point- I know and have sailed with Charl (Silent Voyager)

He's quite a sailor, and a very nice guy

[David_Old_Jersey]

It is actually refreshing to read of chronicles and commentary of the state of journalism without mention of Rupert Murdoch's designs on the fourth estate, cheers !

The Times (of London) is of course a Murdoch paper. At the risk of going off on a tangent!, whilst I would not go so far as the US in having a citizenship requirement I would bring in a residency requirement for ownership of Newspapers and Media selling in the UK (above say a min turnover level) at least to be fully tax resident (Company, Directors and any other principals), with no double tax allowance for international groups. The risk is of course that having media controlled solely by the local means yer get an insular view and folks having to be nice to the powers that be, but have that anyway and with the new media not so easy anymore for news / events to be suppressed.

The good news with Murdoch is that he will be dead sooner rather than later - and his half wit of a son will be out on his ear  ;D.

[David_Old_Jersey]

The funny thing is that on my own "to do list" is setting a(nother!) Sailing race / challenge  ;D and for that "the Media" will be a consideration.....and TBH the motivation is as much about "marketing" as anything boat related, although also a large dollop of my own WTF not? thinking  8).

Probably sink without trace  ;D - more anon.........

[Captain Smollett]

Including web sites here as "literature," I thought it might be interesting to compile a list of misrepresentations that new and non sailors might see that give the wrong impression of sailing, cruising and passage making.

For the first example, this morning I found this quote:

There are some people who might choose to lie a-hull instead of heaving to. When lying a-hull the sails are (usually) taken down and the boat is turned beam to the seas and let take whatever course it pleases. One of the boats in ?The Perfect Storm? did this with dire results for the crew, though the boat survived.

Posted on the (otherwise good) page http://cruising.coastalboating.net/Seamanship/Anchoring/Heaving-to/index.html

My problem with this statement is that there were no 'dire consequence for the crew' in this case from the storm tactic of lying ahull.  An inexperienced crew member improperly called for rescue against the Captain's wishes, and the rescue itself was more "dire" for both the crew and the rescuers.

It is unfortunate that the "perfect storm" incident has been popularized with misinformation and that the sailing "press" perpetuates those myths.

What misrepresentations of sailing stories have you seen, in print or online?