Kiwi Killed

Ruapehu Bulletin, Volume 11, Issue 532, 19 April 1994, Page 4

Kiwi Killed

• I feel your article in last week's Bulletin about the two dead kiwis is a form of prosecution by association. You are saying that there were no other users of the road that week. No one using the Mountain Road as 'Lover's Lane', no Turoa staff going to an returning from work, no DoC staff working at night, no nigh sightseers, no deer or pig hunters and no one just out to run over possums. Just rally cars! This form of sensationalism in reporting is the type that can ruin sports or any other form of entertainment simply by insinuation. Rallying is a very expensive sport and a very

touchy subject for people who live on roads that are used. Car clubs nationwide are aware of this and are doing their utmost to give the sport a good image. For the record I understand only 33 cars managed to start this special stage and three did not get as far as the 6km mark.

Alan

Murdie.

Editor replies. The article was about kiwis being killed, by dogs and by a car. There was no reference to the rally in the headline. The first reference to the belief of DoC staff that a rally car may have killed a kiwi is made in the second sentence of the third paragraph. Given these facts it seems the only way we could report the statements of DoC staff

that you would not consider sensationalism is to not report them at all. Our job is to report the news, and that is what we did.