and the mates who push there agenda(such as here) could get to the semis on such a show. Maybe the voice of Australia is more prevalent here for good reasons Mark. Mark Poynter : 04 Dec 2008 6:10:20pm Andy v. B., Further to my earlier comment about the role (or lack of) of the forestry profession in the debate - one of the biggest problems has always been that most foresters work in government employ and are bound by public service codes of conduct which prohibit public comment on their work. I know of one public service forester who is currently being investigated for breaching the PS rules by writing a letter to a newspaper! Another problem (that I know only too well) is the unwillingness of the mainstream media (particularly in the city) to be interested in the forestry viewpoint, and their overwhelming preference to air the hysterical and sensational views of environmental activists. In this context, forestry is only ever seen in a defensive mode by the urban population. In rural areas there is far more balanced media coverage of forestry issues - but the opportunities this presents to air the forestry viewpoint is to a large extent only preaching to the converted. Even where forestry views have been sought by the media they have often been subtly manipulated or misrepresented - several ABC Four Corners programs illustrate this point - to an extent where a company such as Gunns appears to have made a conscience decision that