How Screwed Up Is The Media?

[fabsroman]

The other night on Yahoo, I saw an article that 12 of the 13 miners in West Virginia had survived. The next morning, I was told by my parents that all but one of them had died.

I read another article on Yahoo today stating that the media had screwed up completely and a lot of newspapers had on their front page that 12 of the 13 miners survived, incluiding a portion of USA Today and the entire Washington Post. How can they get something so wrong.

What I love most is that Yahoo nevers mentions in today's article that it had it wrong a couple of days ago. Utterly amazing.

This just makes you wonder about what you hear over the internet and the TV.

[rubicon]

Its a bad enough tragedy without the media screw ups. I watched it as much as I could while on my hunt trip in NC and believe me even the coverage describing the rescue was messed up. Having worked 18 years in a mine close to that one before moving and becoming a flat lander it really hit close home.

[BILLY D.]

Originally posted by fabsroman
The other night on Yahoo, I saw an article that 12 of the 13 miners in West Virginia had survived. The next morning, I was told by my parents that all but one of them had died.

I read another article on Yahoo today stating that the media had screwed up completely and a lot of newspapers had on their front page that 12 of the 13 miners survived, incluiding a portion of USA Today and the entire Washington Post. How can they get something so wrong.

What I love most is that Yahoo nevers mentions in today's article that it had it wrong a couple of days ago. Utterly amazing.

This just makes you wonder about what you hear over the internet and the TV.

fabs

there is an old polish proverb that goes something like this, "don't believe anything you hear and only half of what you see." works for me.

[Rocky Raab]

Today, the media does not care if it reports the turth, only that it reports something and does it FIRST.

They went with what was essentially a mis-heard and misunderstood rumor. They did not try to authenticate, did not seek a second source (no matter how crucial this information was), and did not ask an official source to confirm.

They simply broadcast a rumor.

AND THEY DON'T CARE!

[Classicvette63]

I was up until 5am watching that whole mess unfold. Absolutely unexcuseable. The only solice was watching the newscaster, company execs and the govenor squirm afterwards.

The bigger issue is that this is just another example of how much (or how little) big business cares about it's employees (and it's consumers). Almost 300 violations in the last two years. 18 last year that were serious enough that the mine should have been shut down. The ONLY time big business cares about it's employees is when they are financial forced to do so.

[rubicon]

Just talked to one of my buddies that works there. He says the rescue team which reached the miners in an area where they had erected a barricade radioed to another rescue team which had set up a station in the mine but in an area with good air , saying that they had found them. The call was made while wearing full breathing apparatus. This was as soon as they found the guys and they are trained not to say they are dead until after an attempt to revive. This call was to be only between rescue crews but media somehow got it and we know the story from there. When mine owners learned media was making false reports they didnt bother to correct the situation and instead stood back and allowed loved ones to be happy. UNFORGIVABLE!!! well, we know about the screw ups. now the cover-ups start. Evidently the mining crew had put on their respirators and were coming to the surface when they barricaded. I understand why they barricaded but really wonder what caused that explosion and will probably never know.

[fabsroman]

Something tells me that there is going to be some attorneys involved in this one trying to figure out what caused the explosion. Like you, I wonder too, and not just because I am an attorney. I also wonder why they barricaded themselves in if they were trying to come out. Can you shed any light on that Rubicon? I am the kind of person that likes to know how things work and why certain things are done. Don't ask me why. I know that when I was a kid I would always find myself in the car wondering about things, for instance, how the car works. I guess that is why I like working on cars, trucks, boats, homes, computers, guns, etc.

[Rocky Raab]

I would prefer to think (and I do believe) that mine management didn't withhold information deliberately.

What probably happened is that the media went ahead and started broadcasting their report as if it were truth.

Mine management, meanwhile, are trying to find out what the REAL truth is. Rather than say that the rumors are true OR false, they wanted to be sure. With communications as tough as they were, and in accord with written protocols, they would not release ANY medical information until it was confirmed by doctors. That took time, because they don't send doctors down into the disaster site, they bring rescued people out to the doctors.

The time that takes might SEEM like deliberate cruelty on the part of management, but if the insanely rabid media hadn't broadcast the rumor, the families might have been spared the reversal of the story.

Repeat: I think mine management were going by their written protocols, did not want to make any statements until they knew FOR SURE what had happened, and it is the medias sole fault that the story got screwed up.

[BILLY D.]

so far they are grabbing at straws trying to discern the reason. i've heard? lightnig, static electricity, and even second hand smoke from the local diner.

even if they find out will it be the truth? or is it somebody just boarding up their backside. by the time the media gets through rewrting history it could be a goat rope.

as martin luther king once said, "america only has a 10 day attention span". look for ground breaking news in about 6 months. by the the luster will have worn off and everybody will have dismissed it.

it's just a terrible thing when an event like this occurs. my prayers go out to all those involved.

[rubicon]

Fabs, As a miner you are trained in evacuation procedures and the use of your respirator. Every miner carries one at all times. In the event of an explosion the obvious goal is to get outside after you have put on the respirator. It is kinda hard to explain but a mine section has several entries with crosscuts (at least three) with one being fresh air, one being the belt line and one being the return which has the mine fan at its entrance. Sorta like underground streets and avenues. The crosscuts tying the entries together have non combustable materials stored in them for emergency purposes. The respirators are only effective for a period of time so if on the way out your respirator is giving up the ghost or if you encounter fire, smoke, etc. you have to go in one of the crosscuts with breathable air and seal your self in where you wait for a rescue team. I would bet that is what happened to these guys. As for the explosion itself, electrical permissibility is of the utmost importance and all machinery is supposed to be constantly checked. Machines also have methane monitors on them which should not allow them to to start if methane levels are too high. Also, no, smoking, no open flames, no using torch or welding without constant monitoring. the mines in that area normally produce methane but at least when I was a miner we would get sufficient air to reduce the gas to an acceptable level.I have a problem believing lightning and some of the other things we are hearing. We may learn it was human error or mechanical error. the mine will be closed for as long as it takes for state and federal mine inspectors to determine the cause then most likely it will reopen and the miners will go back to their jobs.

[skeet]

Fabs,
I dealt with reporters many times in the past while working in the Fire Dept. To let you know... The media doesn't care how they get the story...as long as they get it first. Reporters are the ones that do the crazy and stupid things. They intrude into peoples lives with no regard for the people's feelings or loved ones. I have absolutely no use for most of the reporters I have met in the past. There were a couple of good ones who actually reported what you said..but they were few and far between. Ask Rocky. He dealt with them on a daily basis at one time I'm sure. We had an aircraft(737) fire one night and a reporter for one of the Baltimore TV stations broke through security and got in my face while trying to control an aircraft incident. I happened to be in charge. I actually had him arrested for getting onto the airport without going through the correct procedure. Think the guy still hates me. He cussed me till a fly wouldn't light on me. I can tell you that. The average reporter is a whore for a story...even if it ain't so!! Just my opinion. The people who reported this story wrong should be fired at the very least.

[Jack]

I watched this whole mess unfold.....
The first reports that 12 miners had survived came from the families waiting in the church- and every media source I saw said they got the story from the families.
Someone involved with the rescue heard a garbled message and got on a cell phone and broke the "news" to the families.
That person is now being very, very quiet.
If ya wanna blame someone, there's lots of blame to go around:
1. The person who called the families.
2. The media, for not getting a second source before reporting the false news
3. the mining company was told the real news, but didn't tell the families for 3 hours, by the companies own admission.

[fabsroman]

I always thought reporters were like attorneys. LOL At least most people appreciate their attorney. Not many people have a reporter that they entrust with things.

I have only had a reporter contact me once, and that was for a comment on a case I was working on. Without hesitation, I told him that I had no comment, and that was what was put in the paper. I brought the phone call up to the managing partner the next time I saw him and he said I did the right thing. I don't think I would ever tell a reporter anything.

I truly feel bad for the family members involved, and while most of America will forget this in about 2 days, I think the attorneys and family members will be looking really hard at how this happened. Of course, the trial attorneys will be looking to put the blame on somebody with deep pockets. Then there will be the everyday attorneys helping the family with the estate administration and collection of annuities, life insurance, and other assets.

Rubicon,

I pretty much understand the whole barricading in process now. Thanks for that explanation and the explanation on how the explosion could have been caused.

[denton]

The fundamental thing you have to understand about our American news media is this: They are NOT in the business of giving or selling news to people. they ARE in the business of selling audiences to advertisers.

Their main objective is to increase their audience size, so they can charge more for advertising.

The next thing that is important to understanding our media is that many of them are failing miserably at increasing audience size. Probably one of the key reasons that big media is down on the economy is that if you work for network broadcast TV, or a large daily newspaper, economic times ARE tough.

Sensational headlines sell papers in the short term, but undermine credibility, and hurt circulation in the long term.

One of the things I'm enjoying about our times is the bloggers who make it a hobby to fact check big media, and call attention to blatant errors and biases. You might try www.instapundit.com for frequent links to that kind of activity.

[PJgunner]

Many years ago now, before I retired, I worked for the Weather Bureau. Every time we had a waether situation, primarily due to thunderstorm damage, this one reporter for the paper would call for an interview. I'd give him the facts as they happened and if they were not lurid enough, he'd embellish the hell out of them. The next day, the boss would chew my butt for exagerating the facts, which I hadn't done. I got to the point where I would refuse to give him the interview and said I would give one to some other reporter, but not him. He calls up the boss and I get reamed out again. After all, it's all about "freedom of the press" and all that garbage. I don't recall "freedom to lie" though.
So, I am ordered to give the guy an interview if he calls. Well, needless to say, he called after the next strom and I let him know in no uncertain circumstances that one, I was taping the interview, and if he misquotes me by just one word he would have his typewriter or word processor or what ever he uses being used as a suppository in his nether regions sideways. After that, I never got misquoted or had an interview embellished again.
The really sad part of all that is I really was hoping he'd misquote me. I had a very strong dislike for that fellow.
Paul B.