Newspeople Avoid Questions – WSF Security

In the news:

August 3, 2023 Peninsula Daily News

Training exercise

“A multi-agency police force walks up the ramp after conducting a high-risk, low-frequency training exercise on board the M/V Kennewick on Wednesday. High risk refers to the level of danger to people and property, i.e., a hostage situation, and low frequency refers to the chance of it actually happening, but the agencies want to be prepared by training.”

“The force was made up with personnel from the Port Townsend, Port Angeles and Sequim police departments and both the Clallam and Jefferson county sheriff’s departments as well as from customs enforcement. The 8 a.m. and 9:30 a.m. ferries from Port Townsend were cancelled due to low tides, so travel was not impacted during the exercise.”

Trying to make sense of ongoing war on terror/security theater mixed messages. Love to see more in the way of newspeople asking questions.

Looks like no WSF security staff present at:

Mukilteo or Clinton for inbound/outbound DUI driver. Two fatalities.

Gunfire on Bremerton ferry during Puget Sound crossing.

Security breach on the Bremerton ferry

Fatality – Guemes ferry dock

Winslow ferry dock – Belligerent motorist blows past toll booth and onto ferry.

Credit to the press for asking questions on the Winslow incident. Excellent reporting here.

Fatality – Southworth ferry dock

Fatality – Anacortes ferry dock

Washington State ferry passengers are advised via PA system not to leave backpacks or packages unattended during ferry crossings.

Meanwhile-on the car deck-cars, trucks, vans, commercial vehicles, etc. are left unattended during ferry crossings.

I have made dozens of round trip ferry crossings over the past 20 years. In many cases, there has been no security screening at either terminal.

On occasion, the press will do a story about a ferry security drill.

If the Oklahoma City bomber rolls onto the ferry-how does the SWAT team help out an hour later?

Has anyone ever seen any member of the press asking questions related to WSF security?

The Press

Much of what we get today is sort of a press release style of news reporting where a statement is prepared by whatever agency was involved in the latest policy update, drug bust/federal grant money award, etc.

Newspeople post this statement as is.

A 5th grade book report would require more in the way of asking questions.

Alternative media/bloggers

People who take no public funds, private donations or advertising dollars are free to ask questions at any time. Why not the press?

I’d be more interested in paying (again) for a local paper subscription if there was more in the way of newspeople asking questions.

Local papers have stripped away all comments from past articles, and removed the opportunity to post comments to new articles.

Various newspapers in the Puget Sound area have gone with this trend.

Elimination of reader comments works against the idea of paying for an online subscription.

Manage it, don’t ban it. Online comment sections

JFK speaks about the role of the press in a free society: