Proposes Legislation To Have Journalists Pass A Basic Written Exam

ANN’s April 1 “April Fools” Special Edition

Senator James Inhofe (R-OK) has proposed legislation that would require any media organization presenting stories about aviation to have the reporters covering those stories pass a basic knowledge test.

Under the “Accuracy in Aviation Reporting Act of 2015”, reporters would be required to take a basic ground school course and pass a 10-question written exam to attain an “Aviation Approved” designation. An official seal would be added to any story reported by that journalist indicating that he or she has a basic understanding of aeronautics.

“It’s pretty simple,” Inhofe said. “The level of reporting on aviation topics is all over the map, and the public has a right to know if the person who wrote the story has any clue about what they’ve written. Any story that doesn’t have the official seal can be assumed to contain inaccuracies, or at the very least be taken with a grain or two of salt.”

Inhofe cited as an example the reporting on the loss of MH370, in which a CNN graphic stated that a “Boeing 777 will struggle to maintain altitude once the fuel tanks are empty.”

“They need to know the difference between an aerodynamic stall and an engine failure,” Inhofe said. “When you stall an airplane, it doesn’t mean the engine quit. I’ve never popped the clutch in my RV-8 and had the engine stop.”

A companion bill has been filed by Congressman Sam Graves (R-MO).

“If the FAA wants to have anyone who flies a UAV for a business pass a knowledge test, it’s only appropriate that a reporter whose job it is to inform the public about these issues meet the same requirement,” Graves said.

(Editor's note: The CNN graphic actually happened)

FMI: www.senate.gov, www.house.gov