This is what Dive Newswire has posted:
To those of you who saw Ocean Rover in the CBS News report about coral damage: do not believe what they are telling you! We are furious at CBS. One of their producers contacted us and asked if we could help them get to the Similan Islands to report on coral damage. They assured us the piece would be "fair & balanced."
Our Cruise Director Hans Tibboel described one specific divesite in Surin Island with the words: "it looked like a giant sandblaster was used". Again, Hans was describing only one divesite and made positive remarks about the actual lack of damage at other places. Of course, the CBS editor used the "sandblast" soundbite and hardly anything else.
Footage was also arranged in a "before & after" method that is not consistent with the real situation. All the beautiful "before" footage shown by CBS was actually filmed AFTER the tsunami.
Somehow the media just cannot help themselves and turn everything into a gloom & doom story. CBS should be ashamed of what they did here. We have talked to their producer since but of course she blames the New York editor. This is the way the media works. The way the news piece came out is 100% the opposite of what was promised to us. We urge fellow dive operators to be very careful in dealing with the media. These people do not let scruples get in the way of a juicy story. Shameful!
I mean - WTF??
Here is a quote from a passenger who was there with CBS:
"I was quoted in the CBS story as saying that the diving looked like a bomb had gone off. I want to let everyone out there know that this was on ONE dive that I went on during the entire 11 day trip..." Dustin Silvester, Utah, USA
From Ocean Rover Diving Cruises (I realize they are also concerned about their diving business, but the fact that CBS has - once again - distorted the truth is not something that can be overlooked):
Much to our dismay there are many unsubstantiated news stories about “total destruction” of Phuket’s coral reefs. Even our own effort to bring a CBS team to the Similans for a first hand look turned into a nightmare when they broke their promise and turned it into yet another “spectacular disaster” story. Our crew and passengers were quoted out of context and our underwater video footage used incorrectly. Never again!
So, I guess one could say that CBS didn't learn its lesson last year? Are they determined to drive every viewer away from them?......or are they so f'n full of themselves they are going to report on anything 'their way' and the truth be damned??
DR
