There Alive!!

[RandFan]

OMG, they were found alive.

http://www.breitbart.com/news/2006/01/04/D8ETLLCO0.html

[HeyLeroy]

"Miracles happen in West Virginia and today we got one," said Charlotte Weaver, wife of Jack Weaver, one of the men who had been trapped in the mine.


So much for the bravery and diligence of the rescuers.

I love W.Va (spent my hornymoon there) but, seriously, give credit where it's due.

[boooeee]

There wolf. There castle.

[Antiquehunter]

Not so fast...

This misannouncement is going to make major conspiracy theorists very happy.

Talk about a case study on how NOT to handle communications in a crisis situation...

[LostAngeles]

No, they're not. The story on CNN's website is still wrong though as of current posting.

[Perforatu]

It's been corrected. They're dead.

What a weird thing to get wrong.

[LostAngeles]

I caught the governor saying that he thinks/under the impression that the information came from a phone call to one of the family members, however, according to CNN right now, the governor is the one being sourced as the person who told the family the bad info.

[Skeptic]

It's been corrected. They're dead.

What a weird thing to get wrong.

I suppose the rescuers at first concluded that the miners were pining for the Fjords...

(...runs away, dodging bricks and curses... I know, I KNOW, don't tell me...)

[JLam]

Holy crap. This is going to be a case study in baaaaad communication.

Whatever information you hear in the next few hours is probably going to be wrong. It will probably be a day or two before the whole story pans out.

How do you F this up????

[CFLarsen]

Because it was the story everybody wanted to hear.

[shecky]

How do you F this up????

Probably the same way we got stories about thugs shooting at rescue helicopters and rapes/murders in the Superdome during the Katrina fiasco

[JLam]

Because it was the story everybody wanted to hear.
Care to elaborate? That statement could mean different things depending on one's point of view.

[zenith-nadir]

11 of 12 Miners Reported Alive Are Dead (http://www.breitbart.com/news/2006/01/04/D8ETP0G0F.html)

Jubilant family members celebrated news early Wednesday that 12 miners were pulled alive from the scene of an underground explosion, only to learn nearly three hours later that they had been misled and just one miner actually survived.

The chief executive of the mine blamed the stunning error on a misunderstood conversation overheard between rescuers and the command center overseeing rescue efforts.They are dead save one. "F"-ing media jumped before they confirmed the story...

And if you are really interested you can go to CNN and watch:

When joy became despair: 'One survivor -- that's it' (http://www.cnn.com/)...."When joy became despair"...holy s**t...the media is truely sickening me these days.

[Skeptic]

Care to elaborate? That statement could mean different things depending on one's point of view.

I think he means that everybody wants to be the bearer of good news.

[Antiquehunter]

Actually, the story I heard was not so much the media's fault. Chain of events as I heard when watching the news report on the telly at lunchtime:

- Communication from mine to Crisis Center indicates all alive.
- Cell phone conversations commence
- Word leaks to the friends and family in the church via a cellphone call
- Person who received call in the church tells the media
- Meantime, Crisis Center approx 15-20 mins after original communication receives conflicting report stating not all alive.
- Crisis Center for whatever reason delays communicating new information for some 3 hours.
- Meantime, everyone is happy, media spreads the word. Jubilation reigns, stories of miracles abound etc...
- Finally, official statement comes out and major backpedalling.

Questions:

1) Who made the original cellphone call from crisis center to those outside the crisis center before doing due diligence on the veracity of report from the rescue team 13,000 feet underground?

2) Why was the crisis center unaware of the media uproar, and failed to react to squash the story or rebut it from the beginning? Or certainly, when they had conflicting information 15mins after initial announcement they should've hit the 'stop the presses' button

3) Why did it take the crisis center / company officials 3 hours to rebut the happy news story? According to the media, they suspected there were problems because the company was so slow to make an official announcement. The reporter I listened to suggested that rumours were flying because the company appeared to be reluctant to pounce on the good news story.

So - did the media create its own monster when it acted on a verbal account from an eyewitness (family member who was in the church when the cellphone call was received)? I don't think so. If the media DIDN'T recount eyewitness reports then we'd all be in the dark.

Based on the info I have at this time, it looks like communications mismanagement by the crisis center / company. I'd say whoever blabbed on their cellphone before getting the full story is the one whose nether-regions belong on a platter.

[zenith-nadir]

If the media DIDN'T recount eyewitness reports then we'd all be in the dark.Fact-checking is a big part of journalism. In this case there were no eyewitnesses...just heresay witnesses.

IMO before a news organization runs with a story, "They're all alive!" ...they should actually see the people alive who they are reporting to be alive. This is a perfect example why you should not ever use heresay evidence.

[Hutch]

Wasn't awake for the news they were 'alive', but did the various media run or say "unconfirmed reports" or "we have been told" either as below the screen or as part of the verbal reporting?

they pretty much had to react if the Church Bells were ringing and excited and happy people were telling them the news--just depends if they reported it as above or went overboard and said it was a fact (as I suspect some reporters on the site might have)

Otherwise I'll give this 24 hours to sort out.

Oh, and Skeptic, not funny.

Press on.

[Mephisto]

Well, one thing is for sure, they're either alive or dead.

[The Central Scrutinizer]

Well, one thing is for sure, they're either alive or dead.

It's odd - that is what I predicted! I'm a psychic you know.

[Mephisto]

Holy crap. This is going to be a case study in baaaaad communication.

Whatever information you hear in the next few hours is probably going to be wrong. It will probably be a day or two before the whole story pans out.

How do you F this up????

It's easy! There are no real journalists left in this country. Instead of actually WAITING for the facts, they're more concerned with beating a rival station/newspaper/magazine to the story.

[Mephisto]

It's odd - that is what I predicted! I'm a psychic you know.

:) I knew you were going to say that! :)

[Perforatu]

Well, one thing is for sure, they're either alive or dead.
Schroedinger's Miners?

[alfaniner]

I just knew that "miracle" was going to be used if they were found alive. However, I doubt there will be any supernatural attibution now...

Still, my concern goes out to the families and rescue workers involved.

[RandFan]

Wasn't awake for the news they were 'alive', but did the various media run or say "unconfirmed reports" or "we have been told" either as below the screen or as part of the verbal reporting? No, not at all. I watched CNN last night and people were jubilant they kept showing the families with smiles and hugging each other. Anderson Cooper was gushing and everyone was all smiles.

Damn... people were begining to prepare for the worst and then they had there hopes elevated only to be dashed.

It sucks. :(

[Mephisto]

I just knew that "miracle" was going to be used if they were found alive. However, I doubt there will be any supernatural attibution now...

Still, my concern goes out to the families and rescue workers involved.

Yeah! Friggin Jesus, he could have saved those miners!

P.S. My heart also goes out to the families - to be teased by a glimmer of hope, only to find out that it was all in vain.

[The Central Scrutinizer]

I just knew that "miracle" was going to be used if they were found alive. However, I doubt there will be any supernatural attibution now...

Still, my concern goes out to the families and rescue workers involved.

Yep.


Family and friends clapped in the early morning chill as a single ambulance drove away, presumably with one of the miners safely in the back.
"It just shows you enough prayers went out," Bula Smith, 27, said as she clutched her 7-month-old daughter, Cassey, close to her. "It's a miracle."
The crowd gathered outside the church burst into a chorus of "How Great Thou Art" as family and friends threw themselves into each other's arms.


One wonders if Bula will now be angry at her sky friend for killing the miners? No, it's easier, and takes less brain power, to blame "the media" or someone else. :rolleyes:

[HarryKeogh]

One wonders if Bula will now be angry at her sky friend for killing the miners? No, it's easier, and takes less brain power, to blame "the media" or someone else. :rolleyes:

there's a video clip on cnn.com right now with the family reaction to the bad news. One lady says something to the effect "we're Christians. Now we're wondering if there really is a Lord".

[Kopji]

I have rarely been so disgusted by politician's pumping of their faith agenda, and that's saying a lot. For over two hours last night all we heard was how great a miracle this was and how we should "believe".

The Governor, rather than make sure of practical things like having a firm communication infrastructure and providing accurate information, was satisfied with rumors that supported what he wanted to hear.

CF Larsen has it perfectly right.

To CNN's credit, Anderson seemed to try for some skepticism for a while, wondering why we had not seen the miners yet, only an ambulance.

He was eventually overcome by cheering crowds and ringing church bells. Add a governor proclaiming 'all is well' miracles and it was too pretty a package. (hum, "We dodged a bullet", where did I hear that...)

The quote today getting airplay is that there is '1 miracle instead of 12'. The families don't seem to think that is enough of a response. Go figure.

Lots of questions. The other shoe will probably be that the miners could have been saved with more intelligent decisions at the top.

[slingblade]

I felt as if something was wrong with the story last night, as I read it on MSNBC. They were also running a story on how all but one had been rescued, but no names were mentioned, and there were no accounts or eye-witness quotes...it was a very strangely empty story, for one supposed to be so full of good news.

Now I see why.

Those poor folks; my heart goes out to them all.

[JLam]

I think a lot of this can be traced to the fact that in that part of the country, there is a great deal of contempt for and fear of the media. Look at what the situation was. The media was not allowed in the church where the family was gathered, and they were not allowed in the command center. They had no access to the people who actually KNEW what was going on. This is because the people involved actively refused to give the media access to the situation. Even during the period when they were "alive", I saw someone come up to the CNN camera outside the church and shove it away. The media obviously weren't welcome.

I have 10 years of experience working in the TV news business, and I can tell you that almost without fail, the smaller the municipality, the less access the media has to "officials" during a crisis. Large cities are well versed in media relations, the police and fire departments have full time public information officers, and there's a general sense of openness.

In small towns like this, where the closest most people get to a TV camera is when Uncle Joe brings it out for Billy's birthday party, the information infrastructure isn't in place like it is in a big city. Officials are not savvy when it comes to disseminating information. Many of them have an actively hostile attitude towards anyone with a microphone.

When this happens, you get the situation we saw last night. CNN and the rest of them were basically reduced to relying on a freakin' town crier. From there, it becomes the "telephone game," where false information spreads and then becomes distorted. (The families thought that they were going to bring the miners not to the hospital but TO THE CHURCH!!) It's unfortunate, but that's almost to be expected in a situation like that where the media has been denied access to the front lines of a story.

As for the people who say "Well, they should have waited for confirmation," I agree. But I was working last night when the story that they were alive broke. Our computers were buzzing Associated Press News Alerts, our squawk boxes from FOX and CNN were chirping; EVERYONE thought that they were alive. Why? The freakin' GOVERNOR was jumping for joy and telling everyone that we had a miracle. You think that if you can trust anyone, you can trust the Governor, right? Well, he was at the church, and it seems he was sucked into the hype along with everyone else. He should have stopped and made a damn phone call, but he didn't.

Bottom line is that this was almost bound to happen. It's unfortunate, but when you don't allow the purveyors of information access to said information, it's a recipe for disaster.

[thatguywhojuggles]

there's a video clip on cnn.com right now with the family reaction to the bad news. One lady says something to the effect "we're Christians. Now we're wondering if there really is a Lord".

I saw an interview with someone from the church and they said that the preacher inside was encouraging everyone to continue to pray (after they found out the real story.) One person was said to have yelled "What the hell has God done for us?!"

It's sad that it takes such a horrible tragedy for someone to finally ask that question.

[Just thinking]

It is, if anything positive, an excellent case study showing how quickly so many will give credit to God for positive news (instead of the rescue workers and man-made life saving equipment), and be so quick to point the finger elsewhere (the media) for negative news.

How textbook.

[crocodile deathroll]

It is just amazing how quickly the tune changed from "Hallelujah!" to "Hell the bastards"

[schplurg]

From a CNN article:

(Watch relatives weep over 'a miracle taken away' -- 3:21 (http://javascript%3Cb%3E%3C/b%3E:cnnVideo%28%27play%27,%27/video/us/2006/01/04/sots.anna.casto.cousin.of.miner.cnn%27,%272006/01/11%27%29;))
Gee thanks for the link CNN...now go **** yourselves!!! I'm not going to watch people suffering for the sake of watching. "Gee I'll bet they cry really hard!" What the hell is this? Who took the miracle away from Gawd anyways? Why did HE take it away should be the question. The lord giveth....

Maybe it's just the wording on some of these CNN video links that gets to me... "10 puppies run over by car...WATCH".