If you ever wanted a heads up for the end of the MH-370 story, there it is.
Like all politicians and senior bureaucrats, Dolan is well versed in the art of "on-message", but he has a masters in "spin" - that's why / how he got promoted to the top job, and keeps it.
Well let's take this apart statement by statement.
He has three messages in this interview.
I have added sentence / statement numbers to the article above. There are 12 statements. Each has a purpose. Ten are Dolan's, two are editorial padding.
Well, let's see what his "on-message" - real message(s) are:.
PRIME MESSAGE = No "rogue pilot theory".
(A-1) First and last statements - opening and closing - "on-message" start - "on-message" finish - always the way.
(001) The head of the MH370 search has denied Malaysia was applying pressure to reject theories a "rogue pilot" flew it to its end.
(012) He denied Malaysian authorities had asked the ATSB to ignore the rogue pilot theory.
(A-2) Reinforce that Prime Message.
(002) The head of the Australian organisation searching for Malaysian Airlines Flight MH370 has DENIED Malaysia was applying pressure to reject theories a “rogue pilot” flew it to its end, but said the Malaysians support that approach.
[double-speak = Everyone has got that wrong. We have not been pressured by the Malaysian. Quite to the contrary - the Malaysians AGREE WITH US - that there was no rouge pilot.]
(004) In an ABC radio interview yesterday, Mr Dolan rejected assertions by veteran commercial airline pilots that MH370, which disappeared with 239 people aboard on March 8, 2014, on a flight from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing, was most likely hijacked by captain Zaharie Ahmad Shah and flown right through to ditch in the southern Indian Ocean.
(009) He said there was no need to change the priority search area to include a “rogue pilot” theory because satellite tracking data indicated the plane was not subject to pilot inputs on the last long leg and was on autopilot.
SECONDARY MESSAGE = The "Pontius Pilate" - get out of gaol free card - ready for June 2016.
We are ONLY the "searchers" - for the Malaysians. The Malaysians" are the "investigators".
(B-1) We are NOT investigating the CAUSE, we are ONLY SEARCHING for the aircraft.
(007) Mr Dolan said the ATSB was concerned ONLY with what happened to MH370 AFTER it made its final turn south.
(008) “Speculation about who might have done what and why … is the responsibility of the Malaysian investigation and secondly is not important to our job, which is to find the aircraft.”
TERTIARY MESSAGE = Justify the existing "search strategy".
(C-1) Zombie Flight South - not a piloted flight south.
(003) Australian Transport Safety Bureau chief commissioner Martin Dolan told The Australian the Malaysians accepted the ATSB’s determination the satellite tracking data for the last part of the flight was consistent with the crew being disabled by lack of oxygen from decompression or otherwise “unresponsive”.
(005) “We have certainly considered that as a possibility; all the evidence we have at the moment says that is very unlikely,” he told the ABC.
(011) Mr Dolan said: “The Malaysian government is aware of and supports the basis on which we have determined the priority search area.”
That only leaves two statements for editorial padding.
(006) As reported by The Australian this week, former US airline captain John Cox said the fact MH370 ended radio contact and radar transponder transmission early in the flight, and flew a course right along the airspace boundary between Thailand and Malaysia before turning south, points to an “intentional act” by the pilot to try to avoid detection.
(010) Some observers in the aviation community have suggested Malaysia was pressuring Australia to ignore the possibility the captain hijacked his aircraft because it could be construed as a political act, since he was a strong supporter and relative of opposition figure Anwar Ibrahim.
So, Mr Dolan has in fact told us four things.
(1) Australia, and the ATSB, are only "sub contracted searchers".
(2) The "search" is based on the satellite data only.
(3) We are not in any way involved in the "investigation".
(4) The search will end on completion of the 120,000 square kilomtres.
We are just like all the volunteers that go out and form the search lines when looking for a lost child in a forest. If we find the child alive - great. But all too often - we don't - we find the dead body, and our role terminates, the police seal the crime scene - no further involvement - thanks very much - now go home and keep your mouth shut - you are not allowed to talk about what you found or saw - etc - etc - we all know the drill.
The same situation applies here. There are no survivors to be found. In this case, if we find the wreck (if ........ ) we will return to port, and the Malaysians will take custody of the wreck-site (just like the French did with AF-447).
The Australian Government is not interested in the death of the SIX Australians on board, but the French Government are are very much interested in the death of their TWO citizens. Long ago, they launched a judicial criminal investigation, and they have kept the flaperon under lock and key because of that.
Now you see the "spin" ?
The "real" message - is message number two, not message number one.
The "Pontius Pilate" is not just for "him", it really is for the government.
A smarter-sneakier bureaucrat, diligently and skilfully serving his masters, would be hard to find.
I will give him that.
Listen to him here.
A Freudian slip perhaps ? at 6-minutes-17-seconds ?
The search will end in June 2016.
Like all politicians and senior bureaucrats, Dolan is well versed in the art of "on-message", but he has a masters in "spin" - that's why / how he got promoted to the top job, and keeps it.
Quote:Quote:
‘No push to drop rogue theory’
[Image: 4ae29aa39412bb4bbf8e4c0a3343a645]
12:00am
EAN HIGGINS
(001) The head of the MH370 search has denied Malaysia was applying pressure to reject theories a "rogue pilot" flew it to its end.
(002) The head of the Australian organisation searching for Malaysian Airlines Flight MH370 has denied Malaysia was applying pressure to reject theories a “rogue pilot” flew it to its end, but said the Malaysians support that approach.
(003) Australian Transport Safety Bureau chief commissioner Martin Dolan told The Australian the Malaysians accepted the ATSB’s determination the satellite tracking data for the last part of the flight was consistent with the crew being disabled by lack of oxygen from decompression or otherwise “unresponsive”.
(004) In an ABC radio interview yesterday, Mr Dolan rejected assertions by veteran commercial airline pilots that MH370, which disappeared with 239 people aboard on March 8, 2014, on a flight from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing, was most likely hijacked by captain Zaharie Ahmad Shah and flown right through to ditch in the southern Indian Ocean.
(005) “We have certainly considered that as a possibility; all the evidence we have at the moment says that is very unlikely,” he told the ABC.
(006) As reported by The Australian this week, former US airline captain John Cox said the fact MH370 ended radio contact and radar transponder transmission early in the flight, and flew a course right along the airspace boundary between Thailand and Malaysia before turning south, points to an “intentional act” by the pilot to try to avoid detection.
(007) Mr Dolan said the ATSB was concerned only with what happened to MH370 after it made its final turn south.
(008) “Speculation about who might have done what and why … is the responsibility of the Malaysian investigation and secondly is not important to our job, which is to find the aircraft.”
(009) He said there was no need to change the priority search area to include a “rogue pilot” theory because satellite tracking data indicated the plane was not subject to pilot inputs on the last long leg and was on autopilot.
(010) Some observers in the aviation community have suggested Malaysia was pressuring Australia to ignore the possibility the captain hijacked his aircraft because it could be construed as a political act, since he was a strong supporter and relative of opposition figure Anwar Ibrahim.
(011) Mr Dolan said: “The Malaysian government is aware of and supports the basis on which we have determined the priority search area.”
(012) He denied Malaysian authorities had asked the ATSB to ignore the rogue pilot theory.
Well let's take this apart statement by statement.
He has three messages in this interview.
I have added sentence / statement numbers to the article above. There are 12 statements. Each has a purpose. Ten are Dolan's, two are editorial padding.
Well, let's see what his "on-message" - real message(s) are:.
PRIME MESSAGE = No "rogue pilot theory".
(A-1) First and last statements - opening and closing - "on-message" start - "on-message" finish - always the way.
(001) The head of the MH370 search has denied Malaysia was applying pressure to reject theories a "rogue pilot" flew it to its end.
(012) He denied Malaysian authorities had asked the ATSB to ignore the rogue pilot theory.
(A-2) Reinforce that Prime Message.
(002) The head of the Australian organisation searching for Malaysian Airlines Flight MH370 has DENIED Malaysia was applying pressure to reject theories a “rogue pilot” flew it to its end, but said the Malaysians support that approach.
[double-speak = Everyone has got that wrong. We have not been pressured by the Malaysian. Quite to the contrary - the Malaysians AGREE WITH US - that there was no rouge pilot.]
(004) In an ABC radio interview yesterday, Mr Dolan rejected assertions by veteran commercial airline pilots that MH370, which disappeared with 239 people aboard on March 8, 2014, on a flight from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing, was most likely hijacked by captain Zaharie Ahmad Shah and flown right through to ditch in the southern Indian Ocean.
(009) He said there was no need to change the priority search area to include a “rogue pilot” theory because satellite tracking data indicated the plane was not subject to pilot inputs on the last long leg and was on autopilot.
SECONDARY MESSAGE = The "Pontius Pilate" - get out of gaol free card - ready for June 2016.
We are ONLY the "searchers" - for the Malaysians. The Malaysians" are the "investigators".
(B-1) We are NOT investigating the CAUSE, we are ONLY SEARCHING for the aircraft.
(007) Mr Dolan said the ATSB was concerned ONLY with what happened to MH370 AFTER it made its final turn south.
(008) “Speculation about who might have done what and why … is the responsibility of the Malaysian investigation and secondly is not important to our job, which is to find the aircraft.”
TERTIARY MESSAGE = Justify the existing "search strategy".
(C-1) Zombie Flight South - not a piloted flight south.
(003) Australian Transport Safety Bureau chief commissioner Martin Dolan told The Australian the Malaysians accepted the ATSB’s determination the satellite tracking data for the last part of the flight was consistent with the crew being disabled by lack of oxygen from decompression or otherwise “unresponsive”.
(005) “We have certainly considered that as a possibility; all the evidence we have at the moment says that is very unlikely,” he told the ABC.
(011) Mr Dolan said: “The Malaysian government is aware of and supports the basis on which we have determined the priority search area.”
That only leaves two statements for editorial padding.
(006) As reported by The Australian this week, former US airline captain John Cox said the fact MH370 ended radio contact and radar transponder transmission early in the flight, and flew a course right along the airspace boundary between Thailand and Malaysia before turning south, points to an “intentional act” by the pilot to try to avoid detection.
(010) Some observers in the aviation community have suggested Malaysia was pressuring Australia to ignore the possibility the captain hijacked his aircraft because it could be construed as a political act, since he was a strong supporter and relative of opposition figure Anwar Ibrahim.
So, Mr Dolan has in fact told us four things.
(1) Australia, and the ATSB, are only "sub contracted searchers".
(2) The "search" is based on the satellite data only.
(3) We are not in any way involved in the "investigation".
(4) The search will end on completion of the 120,000 square kilomtres.
We are just like all the volunteers that go out and form the search lines when looking for a lost child in a forest. If we find the child alive - great. But all too often - we don't - we find the dead body, and our role terminates, the police seal the crime scene - no further involvement - thanks very much - now go home and keep your mouth shut - you are not allowed to talk about what you found or saw - etc - etc - we all know the drill.
The same situation applies here. There are no survivors to be found. In this case, if we find the wreck (if ........ ) we will return to port, and the Malaysians will take custody of the wreck-site (just like the French did with AF-447).
The Australian Government is not interested in the death of the SIX Australians on board, but the French Government are are very much interested in the death of their TWO citizens. Long ago, they launched a judicial criminal investigation, and they have kept the flaperon under lock and key because of that.
Now you see the "spin" ?
The "real" message - is message number two, not message number one.
The "Pontius Pilate" is not just for "him", it really is for the government.
A smarter-sneakier bureaucrat, diligently and skilfully serving his masters, would be hard to find.
I will give him that.
Listen to him here.
A Freudian slip perhaps ? at 6-minutes-17-seconds ?