Shop owners are desperate after recent media reporting damage done and the imminent anticipation of more damage from the recent 'breeze' known now as Ex Cyclone Olga now perched over the Northern Territory.

Campaign reporting in recent years has allowed traditional media policy to thrive on dragging out events keeping their audiences hanging on NEWS of more damage or catastrophe.

The retail sector in small towns that exist off the flow of holiday makers through their doors are fed up with this ancient art of building a captive audience.

Its lazy journalistic work to keep rehashing a potential event that obviously attracts interest from the greater audience.(Ed Note: Potential is a French word that loosely means 'no good yet' !)

Many shops including bench mark retail store Tshinta in the main street of Port Douglas have now had to reduce prices by 40% to attract some type of commercial flow through their doors.

We are very well aware and prepared for quiet seasons due to the realities of our beautiful region but the media banging on about the affects of an event that didn't occur is putting businesses out of action for good. Somehow we have to get through to the southern press, who should know better, that this kind of irresponsible journalism actually comes back to bite them in the backside as well. When regions have to be subsidised to survive, who's tax dollars do they think pays for such drastic action ?

Accurate weather reporting is now on the agenda for many smaller communities and larger cities alike that are dependant upon Tourism for their economies to operate in an effort to counter the inaccurate reporting by the thoughtless sensationalists.