Crossfire- News Bias Analysis

Full Body Scanners In Airports

            Body scanners are coming to Canadian airports in early 2010 in an effort to prevent plastic explosives and other dangerous items from getting onto a plane. While this sounds like a relatively good investment, some people concerned about their privacy, have cried out against them and are protesting these scanners. This paper will examine the pros and cons of these new scanners and the opinions on both sides of this issue.

            First we will see an article from CBC News. This article seems to be for the

installation of these scanners in airports across Canada. This article has quotes from the

Transport Minister telling us that these scanners are indeed very safe and that although it is

true that the scanner produces a three-dimensional outline of the persons naked body,

privacy issues have been addressed. They show pictures in this article of a man comfortably

going through a scanner and the image is also shown. The image is indeed three-

dimensional and naked but it is similar to an X-ray in quality. The images are also viewed in

a separate room from the scanners and are promptly deleted after viewing. In addition if

people are worried about the radiation coming from these machines which could be a

danger to frequent flyers, a pat-down is optional instead of going through the body scanner. For now only a few travellers will be selected to pass through the scanners with those being picked out as showing suspicious behaviour or with a history. People under 18 will not be affected by the new scanning procedures. These scanners have been purchased at $250 00 each and will be installed in airports as they arrive which should be in early 2010. The purpose for these scanners is as stated in the introduction, to prevent plastic explosives and other dangerous items from getting on a plane. The general feeling of this article is that peoples life and well being is more important than them being sensitive about their body.

            The second article that is being analyzed is from Natural News and is titled “Backlash Grows Against Full-Body Airport Scanners”. The International Air Transport Association is speaking out against the newest machine to be implemented into airports. Full body scanners which take a three dimensional naked pictures of people passing through are being installed in airports across Canada. The scanners which were being installed earlier this year are meant to stop explosives from getting onto planes where they can be detonated causing massive destruction. This is all in the wake of the failed bombing on Christmas Day of a plane headed for Detroit. Their reasoning for opposing these scanners are due to implications regarding the efficiency of the machines as well as the health and privacy of the passengers. Although tests have shown these scanners to be effective, they are machines and the possibility of a malfunction could turn lethal. Passengers are also concerned about the radiation being used by the scanners and the effects it could have on their health as the radiation could cause cancer and other illnesses. The European Commission which was also looking into these scanners issued a warning that the health risks are not yet known and should not be used on children, pregnant women or people with disabilities. Another issue was the privacy of the passengers as many are uncomfortable with the idea of having a stranger see a naked picture of them. The final flaw of these scanners is that these scanners take 3-5 times longer to pass through than a standard metal detector. This could cause massive lines and create chaos throughout the airport and could convince people to avoid flying to avoid the hassle of the scanners.

            Now I will write my opinion on these scanners after having examined both opinions and data from both sides of this issue. First of I believe that human life is one of if not the most valuable things to preserve. For this reason I am for anything that prevents the deaths of innocent people. As terrorist organizations grow they become more and more sophisticated and if we want to be able to stop these threats, our defence systems must also be up to date and able to stop these new methods of attack. If these scanners are necessary to stop this threat then that is just what we have to do. As for the machines breaking down we can’t really do anything about that but hope for the best. However the rest of these peoples concerns can be easily solved and airport officials have already offered alternatives to scanners in the form of pat-downs, so this eliminates the fears of those scared of the health end of this issue as well as those who feel their privacy is being invaded. A pat-down however isn’t really much better than a naked image but if you can’t comply with the laws than it is the other passengers right to safety that is more important than ones privacy in my opinion. Simply put, if you don’t like these rules, don’t fly. As for the delay that these scanners cause, I believe that a few minutes can never be worth someone’s life. Anyways if the lines really do make that much of a difference, they can put in more scanners to keep the flow of traffic moving faster. I feel this is the least we can do to protect our airline,  after all; if a loved one of yours died on a plane bombing that could have been prevented with these scanners, would you not want to see these scanners put into effect?

            I hope that this has made you think about this issue and also how much the news can be biased without being noticeable. Maybe you won’t take only one report and instead and get several news broadcasts coverage and find the true events and facts of a story.

Works Cited

"Body scanners coming to Canadian airports." CBC.ca. CBC, 05 Jan 2010. Web. 2 Nov

2010. <http://www.cbc.ca/canada/story/2010/01/05/security-canada-us-

airport.html>.

Gutierrez, David. "Backlash grows against full-body airport scanners." NaturalNews.com.                               

Natural News Network, 24 Oct 2010. Web. 2 Nov 2010. <http://www.naturalnews.com/030160_naked_body_scanners