Tuesday, July 27, 2010
KITV Poll shows station failed its responsibility to inform public about Superferry losses
by Larry Geller
Here’s a snapshot taken around 12:30 today of an on-line poll that KITV attached to their article, Hannemann Wants To Revive Hawaii Superferry (KITV, 7/26/2010):
Now, without any evidence, I’ll bet that the majority of the “Yes” votes were from Oahu readers. Why? Because those on Neighbor Islands generally know more about the Superferry. They’ve been informed by local press, blogs, and protest events.
KITV’s article did not mention that the Superferry was losing money, at least nine months before it filed for bankruptcy, but more likely from the very beginning of its operation in Hawaii. Equally bad, they swallowed this new state DOT Kool-Aid:
State Transportation Director Brennan Morioka said the $40 million of harbor improvements the state made that benefited the Superferry were statewide improvements that also benefited other harbor users and funded by revenue bonds.
No, the improvements were made for the Superferry, and harbor users and we consumers will ultimately pay that $40 million.
How would the poll have gone if they had asked, “Do you think the service should be brought back and heavily subsidized by your taxes?”
I’ll bet that idea would be turned down soundly.
The responsibility for informing the public rests with the media. In this case, KITV has done less than it should have with regard to Hannemann’s statement on bringing back the not-so-Superferry. They’ve also created a misleading poll.
Hmmm… Could it be that TV and newspapers instantly began salivating over the potential ad revenue when Mufi mentioned bringing the boat back?
We have been consistently misled by the State and by the pro-business media to believe that the Superfolly could be a feasible operation. Now we learn that the company never even paid the state fees it owed from the very start, and the Lingle administration simply covered for them. What a shibai!
I miss the SuperFerry terribly, but I sense this will be a minority opinion here.
: January 20, 2011 at 4:42:00 PM HST Many people loved the Superferry. For others, it was a cost-effective way to carry farm produce (for example). But not enough people rode the ferry for it to make a profit, according to outside estimates, and so it went bankrupt.
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