The turf: Robin Oakley’s tips add up to a £300 profit

Talking to a shipboard audience last week about the perils of journalism, I warned that the biggest danger of our trade was making assumptions. I had in mind my favourite story from CNN days of the cameraman who dashed to the local airfield where he had been told a light plane awaited him to take some aerial shots of raging forest fires. As he parked, a plane was revving up outside a hangar. He hurled on his kit, jumped aboard and shouted to the pilot, ‘Let’s go.’ Somewhat unsteadily they rumbled out to the runway and took off. When his passenger ordered, ‘Now make some low passes over that hillside,’ the pilot inquired, ‘Why?’ ‘Because I’ve got to get some close-ups of the fires back to CNN fast,’ said our hero. There was a moment of silence before the man with the joystick in his hands stuttered, ‘So I guess you’re not my instructor.