Intense international bushfire news coverage misleading tourists about the scale of the fires
As American tourists John and Bridget Morgan are cuddling a Billabong Sanctuary koala, messages are pouring in from their worried family and friends on the other side of the world.
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AS American tourists John and Bridget Morgan are cuddling a Billabong Sanctuary koala, messages pour in from worried family and friends on the other side of the world.
They ask the couple from the American state of Oregon if they are in the firing line of the apocalyptic Australian bushfire emergency.
It is the first time the duo have visited Australia and have been planning to come down under for more than 30 years.
The couple were aware of the bushfire crisis before they departed America in December due to the intense international media coverage.
The bushfires have scorched more than eight million hectares of land with at least 24 people killed and an estimated one billion animals perishing in the flames.
The ABC news network in America recently tweeted a graphic of a map of Australia superimposed with North America, seemingly portraying all of the east-coast of Australia ablaze.
“A superimposed map of Australia over the US shows the scale of the massive wildfires that have spread across the country,’’ ABC News tweeted.
On Wednesday, ABC retracted the tweet and replaced the graphic with an updated ‘hotspot’ map.
But the damage had be done.
An Italian woman hoping to spend her honeymoon on Magnetic Island contacted The Bulletin this week, asking if our national parks and koala population had been destroyed.
“I like visiting also Townsville and Magnetic Island with his forests but I’m worried about fires,” Alessia Nulli wrote.
“Are there any fires in this area? How the situation like? Will it be possible visit the area and National Parks or is it destroyed?”
She said her dream was to see the island’s koalas.
Speaking from the Billabong Sanctuary this week, Mrs Morgan said they had been contacted by loved ones back home as incorrect maps and graphics were shown on TV.
“We have had a lot of messages from the States asking if we are OK,” she said.
“I have even had messages from people I hadn’t heard from in a while and they knew we were here (in Townsville) and they had contacted us asking if everything was OK.”
Mrs Morgan said she had corrected many of her friends on Facebook who were posting misleading information.
“When I saw that graphic it looked like (an area the size of) the United States would be on fire which didn’t make sense with what I know about the square footage of the countries,” she said.
“I wouldn’t have really known if it wasn’t correct except that we had this bright idea that we were going to drive from Sydney to Cairns and then we figured out it was like driving from Oregon to Chicago.”
Mr Morgan said the coverage of the bushfire emergency in America was questionable.
“Let’s be honest, our American media is suspect at times on how they report things,” he said.
“Eighty per cent of Americans would look at (the map) and think that is OK because they don’t even know geography that well.
“So if someone is putting a map up there and it is distorted, a large percentage of Americans would go, wow, they wouldn’t run to their map or globe and think, is that accurate or not,” he said.
Mr and Mrs Morgan said they were now tuning in to local media coverage.
Billabong Sanctuary senior ranger Kate de Koning said tourists were inquiring if the wildlife park was caring for any injured animals from the fires.
“We have had lots of customers ask us if we are rescuing animals” she said.
“They are sort of assuming that the fires are closer than they are and asking if we have been affected by them.”
On January 10, the US issued a travel advisory warning about the dangers of travelling to Australia.
The warning issued by the US State Department recommended potential Australian tourists to “consider postponing their trip to affected areas until the danger of natural disaster has passed”.
Pilgrim Sailing Magnetic Island owner and operator Clare Ley said her business had been affected by the bushfires.
“There is a lot of confusion from tourists about what parts of Australia are on fire and they are concerned about the impact of the smoke on their health,” she said.
Magnetic Island Time Cruises owner and operator Drue Watts said he had dealt with the backlash from bogus bushfire media coverage.
“My girlfriend is from France and because of the international news, she has had many of her friends ask her on Facebook if she is OK because they just think Australia is on fire,” he said.
Mr Watts said he was worried about the long-term impact of the blazes would have on North Queensland tourism.
“It is a bit of a worry and it is making us feel that it is decreasing tourism,” he said.
“There has been no shortage of tourism here but if the word continues to get out the way it has been, I am sure it will decrease.”
Originally published as Intense international bushfire news coverage misleading tourists about the scale of the fires