Was the screw up of the miners story the fault of the media?

[mountebank]

As the tragedy of the lost miners sinks in, we have to look for accountability for the faulty reporting that greatly contributed to the grief and sorrow. As I see it, this screw up is principally caused by the existence of 24-hour cable news, which requires up-to-the second news and can only fall prey to gossip. In the past, I believe nightly newscasts or newspapers would have fact-checked from multiple sources, waited for the miners to arrive at the hospital, etc, before running the story. Blogs suffer from the same problem as 24-hour cable news, but do not carry the same reputation for credibility. And once one cable news channel runs with a "breaking story" they all must follow suit, lending further credibility to unsubstantiated gossip (and there are very few examples of this happening with a blog story, "Rathergate" being a conspicuous exception). Cable news starts the snowballing, newspapers fall in line based on the perceived credibility of cable news reports. Beyond the obvious reforms in mining safety and miners' rights that are the most important lessons of this tragedy, I am also hoping it will reduce the credibility of cable news, which is completely over-inflated.

Your opinions?

[MichaelHarris]

1. this is my opinion, not many agreed

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=364x46872

[mountebank]

7. Well, I agree anyway. The gossip may have been swirling all around

but reporters job is to report, investigate and report, find out if all the so-called "sources" received their information from the same place, maybe (God forbid) wait an hour until the ambulances arrive to the hospital, you know, just for the sake of journalistic integrity and the possibility of dashing peoples' hopes so tragically. It's not the job of news to ride the gossip wave. Well, that actually IS the role of cable news. It's just that most people don't realize that and accord it more credibility than it deserves.

[librechik]

35. FYI--"investigate" does not belong in the job description

investigative reporting is a specialized field which nobody really has the time or money for anymore (sadly)

Folks like Anderson Cooper are not given the task (nor are they allowed) to investigate the story. There are others around them (assistants and so on) who fact check, maybe. But generally we can't expect that from our media anymore.

That's why making our own media is so important.

[mountebank]

39. When I said "investigate" I meant "fact-check," which I would

hope is not outside the purview of cable news. Sorry for the sloppy language. I wasn't referring to investigative journalism, which of course takes more time. Maybe you're right - we can't even expect them to fact-check anymore. Time for new media.

[Guaranteed]

41. No, it wasn't the stupid media's fault.

In fact, the tragedy here was that the FAMILIES of the miners were misinformed for so many hours. Yet, they didn't hear this from the media. And then the media heard it from the families.

Either some idiot on the surface heard something wrong or some idiot in the cave said something wrong. Someone fucked up, big time, but it wasn't the media.

With that news flying around, you expect Anderson Cooper to just sit on it? Gimme a break.

[KingFlorez]

2. I don't think so

It's my understanding that the media just reported what was told and the people at the site had already been told the miners were alive.

[RaleighNCDUer]

13. In TV "journalism" they don't make allowances for squishy news.

Instead of proclaiming "they're alive" they could just as easily have said "we are told they're alive". But that's not punchy enoough and makes for bad entertainment, which is what TV news is. A real journalist would have pushed to see the survivors or, failing that, the bodies and then could have reported what he saw, but the scoop was important and they had to have that heartfelt moment of saying "they're alive!"

[Dongfang Hong]

3. Everyone was saying it, including the governor.

Everyone the media asked said they were alive. It wasn't just gossip; it was actual announcements they were listening to.

[noonwitch]

4. It was the fault of some in the media (like Geraldo)

They should have verified their story first. Geraldo is such a whore anyways, I can't believe that any respectable thinking conservative believes that FOX is really a legitimate news outlet when they hire a goof like that.

[madmom]

5. The interview I saw (Anderson Cooper-CNN) was a man

told him "they just come up and said 12 alive, they just come up ...12 alive! Now I ask how is that the fault of the media? I believe it was the fault of an over zealous company spokesperson.

[mountebank]

12. Well, perhaps the media should then report that "some are saying

that 12 men have been found alive, but the reports are not substantiated." Then a news reporter would ask the man questions like, "Did you see them?" Then s/he would ask others, "Did you see them?" I understand this is not really possible with 24-hour cable news, to do this kind of reporting, and that's the problem. People think it's real reporting when it's not. It's gossip and when people think it's real reporting, they get hurt. I hope this exposes cable news as what it is - gossip. I'm not actually saying it's the reporters faults themselves. I'm saying the problem is with 24-hour cable news itself, and the misperception that it is credible.

[madmom]

19. I don't know if you were watching,but several times they were asked

if this was true or said it's not been corroborated yet. If they weren't there right away and telling what was going on people would wonder what they were trying to hide. I heard a company spokesperson say that there were 12 alive during an interview, it was said over and over so how else can reporters verify without going into the mine shaft themselves. No this time I don't believe it was the fault of the media. Besides, why did they let it go for 3 hours before correcting it?

[mountebank]

24. The company certainly should shoulder much of the blame but

I still can't help but shake my head at media that so willingly ride the wave of unsubstantiated reports. I mean, everyone was saying it, but shouldn't a reporter ask her/himself, "What if they all got it from the same faulty source?" A journalist's job is also to make sure the "multiple sources" are truly multiple. Again, probably not the purview of 24-hour cable news, which is why it should be considered gossip television. And again, I'm not saying it's the fault of cable news reporters themselves - more that it is an inherent problem with 24-hour news and its need for constantly "breaking news" and the over-inflation of its credibility.

I really think a true news outfit should have waited until a reporter saw the miners, or gotten an official statement from the hospital, before running a banner saying "12 Miners Alive."

[Fla Dem]

18. No, not a company spokesperson...

Many people were in the command center, when a communication came up from the rescuers over an open speaker that was interpreted by some that the 12 were alive. SOMEONE or several someones, not in an official capacity, called people at the church and told them the report was they were alive. As tragic as it was, and as intolerable as it was for the families, it was an over zealous non-official who first spread the incorrect news.

News people tried to get the correct information. I saw Anderson Cooper asking over and over again to different people if it had been confirmed. One person told him yes, and that the survivors would be emerging from the mine within the hour.

The misinformation grew a life of it's own. Like the game "Whispering down the Lane".

[Critters2]

30. "They just come up"

hardly counts as a credible source.

[MrMonk]

6. The media are too quick to report rumors as if they were fact.

To them, it's simply a matter of keeping empty eyeballs glued to their channel.

[Orangepeel]

8. What did the media do? Misinform you and me? Big deal!

The media has an obligation to try to get the story right and they didn't. Their bad. As a consequence, I went to bed thinking the miners been rescued and woke up to news that they were dead. Very sad, but that's hardly the tragedy in this tragic situation.

The main tragedy, of course, is the deaths of the miners. A secondary tragedy is the roller coaster of grief that the families went through. Me being misinformed for a few hours? Not a tragedy.

Said roller coaster was awful and shouldn't have happened, but that wasn't the media's fault. The families didn't get the story from the media, the media got it from the families. People were celebrating, bells were ringing -- of course the media reported it.

on edit: The CNN and MSNBC stories I read both said "Families say..." which was true. The media has a lot of faults, but this wasn't one of them, IMO.

[mountebank]

14. I would never say that the fact that I was misled for a few hours was

the tragedy. The tragedy was that unsubstantiated gossip peddled as news falsely raised the hopes of their family members, greatly increasing their stress and anguish.

[Orangepeel]

15. but that's my point. The media didn't do that.

the media got the story that the miners were alive from the family members, not the other way around.

[TahitiNut]

9. It was just another "intelligence failure" ... "leaked in the media."

:eyes: :puke:

[Fleshdancer]

10. I actually don't blame the cable news channels for this one

I thought the media got the false information from the officials in the area and the families of the miners. What more could a reporter do in a situation like that to verify the information?

[LisaM]

11. Blame the company

20 minutes after the wrong report, they knew. And sat on it for three hours.

[peaches2003]

17. Exactly

I absolutely agree that it was not the fault of the media this time. It was the fault of the company who knew within 20 minutes that the families had been erroneously told that 12 were alive, yet the company said nothing! I was listening to CNN and FoxNews and MSNBC on my XM. The families were running from the church up to the media saying they had been told by the company that 12 were alive, the ambulances were coming, etc. The Governor of WV said the same thing. The company spokesmen were nowhere to be found, but the whole town was saying the families had been told. With no denial from the company and the families saying they had been told and they themselves telling the media 12 were alive, there is no way to expect the media to do anything but what they did. Who would ever believe that the company would let the families be told this incorrect info and then let it stand for 3 hours!

[Loonman]

16. I'm so old, I remember when 2 sources of confirmation were required

Now the shit media whore motherfuckers just make stuff up. Constantly. The media is not doing it's job.

[madmom]

20. Lets see, family members told them, the gov said it, the company didn't

deny it so how is it the media made it up?

[ohio_liberal]

21. I think they should've confirmed the story before running with it

The company obviously did not issue any sort of release that the workers were alive. According to CNN interview, the person who told the families the workers were alive was a Red Cross worker. Why did they take the word of someone they can't even find now?

[BuyingThyme]

22. I can't figure out how to vote "No."

[mountebank]

23. That would be the "understandable mistake" option or "Other" nt

[jannyk]

25. Anyone actually watching CNN

last night would know that they reported what they were told by the many relatives, friends and was seemingly confirmed by the governor, who gave his "see, miracles do happen" pitch as he exited the church.

This 'rumor' did not start with the media. In fact, it was not a 'rumor' at all. It was relayed to the families as fact from the command center. The cheers from the mine and the pealing of bells of the church were all heard before Cooper knew what was happening. The families did not get this from the media. The media got it from the families and the Govenor.

However, if you were not watching and went to bed believing the miners were alive, I can understand how it may appear that the media caused the problem. They didn't.

The media did not order the fleet of ambulances, the media did not tell the hospital to stand by for the rest of the survivors. It was not the media's doing - this time.


The company execs and the Governor (who knew the truth at the same time as the execs) should have issued a statement as soon as they discovered the error in the information received. They knew what was going on outside and it was cruel to allow it to continue.

[mountebank]

27. I was actually watching (not all of it, but some) and still think cable

news is partially to blame. Mind you, I'm not saying Anderson Cooper or anyone else on cable news could really have done anything else (except maybe add some room for error by not running a banner saying "12 Miners Alive"). I'm saying it's an endemic problem with cable news. You run with unsubstantiated reports. Instead of being a source of truth, where the evidence is collected, weighed, and analyzed, you become a mere conduit for unsubstantiated claims (however believable sounding), rumor, and innuendo. The families likely would have been hurt anyway, it seems, since at least some of them received the reports from the mining company and before the media (though likely not all of them were privvy and probably only immediate family who was in the church), but the cable news still contributed to the anguish by lending more credence to the story and they did that because they are a rumor mill, not a source of credible news.

News has a higher standard for truth than the guy exiting the church. Anyone can say anything they like, but the news should not report it as truth unless it is corroborated.

[jannyk]

33. I don't disagree with you

as to the inherent problems of the media and 24/7 cable news specificaly. Personally, I think they are a very poor news source at best and dangerous at their worst.

However, we did watch the whole thing last night and I really don't know what else they could have done. They were not allowed near the church or the mine entrance to verify anything. All their information was brought to them. The families were already cheering and celebrating, singing hymns and ringing the bells when Cooper got word of why the ruckus was going on. Hatfield even said that he and the Governor embraced in a big bear hug at the parking lot - so they believed it too. So, if the media had been allowed to speak with Hatfield or Manchin during those first 45 minutes - they would have had the story affirmed - then what? The Governor and Hatfield knew the media had reported 12 alive, the Governor and Hatfield believed 12 were alive for 45 minutes. They ordered ambulances and stretchers and all sorts of gear to get them out - the media didn't do that.

As for the relatives, that church was packed. They all had cell phones and 3 hours to call all the people they knew to inform them that the miners were alive - that's what you and I would do - we wouldn't let them find out on CNN or in the morning paper. The damage was already done and the media didn't do it. They reported what was known by everyone - including, initially the officials and the Governor. It was the prevailing 'truth' when it was reported.

I never thought I'd be defending CNN, but fair is fair.

[mountebank]

34. The mining company is largely to blame for holding the truth and

that was a part of the story I didn't really know until today (as you can see I didn't even include them in the list of who's to blame). I think we're largely in agreement, just with a different focus. Thanks for your comments!

edit: to add more.

[Beelzebud]

26. How many "tragic mistakes" does our media get before we get really

pissed off?

They ran with a story (every damn news source, even my local paper) without the facts!

That is shitty journalism.

[librechik]

28. no--media don't make news, they report it

since they mine officials weren't talking (to anybody) they had a duty to report what was being reported and give the source--I heard Cosby say "Family members are saying ..." and that was their source.

The media got screwed, and it's painful to see their powerlessness. But they didn't "screw up " the story--they were in the dark like everyone else--becasue of the stupid, lying mine owners and managers.

I blame them for the media screwup, but I blame the Republican juggernaut and Bush with their anti-worker, anti-safety, anti-union policies for the explosion and subsequent deaths.

[Critters2]

31. If they were in the dark,

they should have simply said so. Reporting rumors without confirming them isn't journalism. I watched the whole thing. Cooper should be fired.

[librechik]

36. I think they probably tried to keep it straight

I heard Rita Cosby specifically say she was quoting one of the family members when she reported the 12 survivors. But it is very easy to slip into "he said/she said" reporting, and all the people on the scene rejoicing must have been impossible to resist. I think they reported what they saw on the scene, and when the scene changed, the report changed. The story was that the real story was withheld--but that only came out later.

They should have been more inquiring--but if the source is not talking, or telling lies, even if you suspect they are lying, you can't report that. You can only say "Mr blah blah says..."

Reporters just report, they aren't lie detectors or advocates (sadly)

We need our own media more than ever. Corporate media sucks, especially the 24 hr newsnets.

[Perky]

29. Well meaning overzealousness at the scene run amok

Look the way I see it. some on in rescue operations jumped the guns.. SOmeone else got on a cell phone and called the CHurch with bad information...by the time the truth set it folks at the church were jumping for joy.


I think this was purely a case of overzealousned....WHere was no maliciousness on anyone's part. What I do not understand is how in the world it took them 3 hours to tell the families.

I suspect that the execs were livid and no one wanted to share the bad news.

they were all chickens...but the real issue is the mine safety issue.

[sandnsea]

32. Just like the rapes and shootings in New Orleans

And the WMD in Iraq. How many times do we give the media a pass when they fuck up so badly. They are not supposed to be rumor mongers. There were headlines that said "12 Alive", and they hadn't confirmed the story with any authority. They couldn't have because noone in real authority would have confirmed it.

[AZBlue]

37. It's the company's fault and no one else's.

When they first knew that rumor was going around they should have clarified things with a simple, "Hold on folks, yes we found them and right now we're going in to see how they are - we don't know if they are injured, alive or dead, suffering from exposure and dehydration...we just don't know right now. Let's be hopeful but guarded." Simple and truthful.

And if they didn't do that they should have at least made an announcement 20 minutes later when they knew for sure that only one miner survived. Why wait three hours?? By that point the shock has worn off and family and friends feel they know the miners are safe. They were cruelly and purposely deceived.

[qanda]

38. The media may not bear all of the responsibility

But when they go with sensational headlines that leave out all journalistic integrity, they need to be held responsible for NOT doing their job.

[bigwillq]

40. The media is to blame

for not getting a confirmation from someone at the scene or from a high ranking official associated with the situation. They needed to get in writing or have someone give a press conference to say
"yes indeed, they are alive" or "we have no evidence yet to prove they are alive"

It's the media's fault that they went ahead with this story (that the miners were alive) without that confirmation. How could you go ahead with this story based on a rumor???

I would've loved for a station to say---"although other stations are reporting the survival of 12 miners, we can't at this point, based on the evidence we have, say that indeed these miners are alive" something to that extent.


I also believe though that the person who fueled the rumor that they were alive, is also partly to blame. Also, the person (s) who waited three hours to tell the families that they were dead (when they knew, according to reports, 20 minutes after the "rumor" started, is also to blame.

Just a sad story. I feel bad for the miners and the families.