Mon, 19 Sep 1994

Inaccurate caption

This may be a minor point for some, but for the sake of accuracy a correction is necessary.

On page six of the Sept. 12, 1994 The Jakarta Post, a photograph of an aerial display at the recent Farnborough air show is captioned: " The Eurofighter and a World War II bomber fly wing tip to wing tip..."

Readers can clearly see the designation "F-16C" written on the tail fin of the more modern aircraft, so it cannot be anything other than that type. Likewise, the vintage machine alongside the F-16 is easily identifiable as a Lockheed P-38 "Lightning" fighter, nicknamed "the Forktailed Devil" by Nazi airmen. The P- 38 was first and foremost a fighter, and only in lesser roles was it a bomber.

We don't know whether the erroneous photo caption originated with a TJP editor or from the wire services; I suspect it was the latter. It only goes to show that even the "professional" news services do not always report accurately.

FARID BASKORO

Jakarta