MY Vast Right Wing Conspiracy

Geraldo Rivera: “The media was VICTIMIZED” in West Virginia mine story

• Posted by Beth on January 4th, 2006 filed in General, Journalism    

Before I rip on the farktards in the media, I’m going to stop and say a prayer for the families of the dead Sago Mine miners in West Virginia, and for the sole survivor, Randal McCloy.

…

OK.

Now then. WILL YOU MORONS IN THE MEDIA PLEASE SHUT THE FARK UP? I can’t believe how farking stupid they are! Geraldo just said “the media was victimized” by the “bad information” last night! Whatthefarkever! YES, it was bad, bad, bad, that the families were mistakenly told their loved ones were alive when they were not. YES, they were understandably upset. NO, they do NOT consider it “more upsetting” to have false hopes than to have a dead husband/son/father. Fox News Chick of the Hour just said, “I’m not sure what’s more upsetting–false hopes, or the bad news.” Are these media people on crack? Are they not watching the same family members that I am? You know, the ones upset that the accident happened and that the men are dead? Hello?

I STFG, the media reports some “miscommunication,” and you’d think THAT was the News Story. Like that never happens! I couldn’t believe my eyes and ears last night/this morning when they had the press conference with the ICG CEO (Jim Hatfield) and WV Governor Joe Manchin; first, because of the drastic turnaround in the news, but after an hour or so, then because the governor was STILL answering dumbass media questions about getting bad information. I don’t think the media is going to STFU about the “miscommunication” until they find the “villain” who misunderstood or miscommunicated or whatever happened that made them (oh yeah, and the families) think the twelve men were still alive. Obviously everyone everywhere is disappointed in the turn of events, but to dwell obsessively on it–not to mention look for someone to blame–by the media as if THEY were betrayed (!) is selfish and stupid. OF COURSE the families were upset–their loved ones are dead! It’s not just about the accidental “miscommunication!” Does John Q. Public really care about who said what to whom? No, we care about the fact that people died. The family members didn’t hear it from the news media, so WTF is the media so exercised about? Afraid we, the public, will criticize them for relaying bad information? Well, duh…we’re used to it. Gawd.

Can you imagine the survivors’ guilt of the man who survived, Randal McCoy? I hope he’s not hearing about this nonsense, although he surely will eventually. It’s like “OMG, we thought YOU were dead, not the other twelve! This is horrible!” Well, I don’t know about y’all, but from the way things looked since Monday morning, it didn’t look to me like anyone would live. It IS a miracle that Randal McCoy lived. It’s an horrific tragedy that the others didn’t. It shouldn’t take away from the good news that McCoy somehow survived, though. But most of all, this bullshi’ite about the “miscommunication” is nonsense. Stupid media always manages to make bad news even more cringe-worthy.

UPDATE: Party animal Preston says in an email, in response to my earlier e-mailed rant to him about this:

As far as I’m concerned, they murdered the miners themselves by proclaiming they were alive, then killing them later in the papers.
Murdering press.

Thank you, Preston. I feel much better already.

UPDATE 2: I spoke too soon about “feeling much better.” See, this shi’ite is why I’m sick of blogging. So…I get a trackback to this post (see below) and click through, and then surf through Galvin’s roundup of links. Yep, just as I feared. AS USUAL, the blogosphere is making this story about the media too. (YES, I KNOW this post is itself about the media, but I look at this one differently.) Says Michelle Malkin, “Lots of cable news-bashing going on…”

Listen, bloggers. I know it’s fun to point and laugh at the retards in the mainstream media. I know it’s fun to “fact-check their asses” and all that. But you people have got to learn to choose your battles more wisely. Otherwise, you start to look like hysterical ankle-biters (and isn’t that precisely the accusation leveled at bloggers from the MSM?). I know, I know, “how dare she say that!” Whatever.

Let me ask you something, though. When a mining FOREMAN comes out of the work area saying “they’re alive,” and the family members are saying “they’re alive” and they are all celebrating wildly (including the Governor, y’all), WHAT DO you need to “verify” the story? One of the miners walking out of the mine shaft? Seriously, can you blame the stupid media for reporting what was happening on the ground? Yes, they told you–US–wrong information. Sorry, but the family members had it too, and I repeat: they didn’t get their information from the media. Sure, the media swarmed upon them at that point, but who among you (if you were in the media) wouldn’t have? Be honest!

How about this?

Anderson Cooper, the CNN host, ripped the coal company at 3 a.m. for not correcting the wrong reports for so long, but did not explain why CNN went with the good news without strong and clear confirmation.

Oh, spare me. The coal company deserves criticism for not clearing things up immediately, but please, “strong and clear confirmation?” Wives saying “he’s alive, they’re alive!” and the Governor celebrating with the family members isn’t a strong and clear indication that something is happening? And like clockwork, that sentence is repeated throughout the blogosphere with shouts of “yeah!”

Look, the media has enough problems to keep the fact-checkers busy forever. This isn’t one of those problems, though. I do criticize the media for NAVEL-GAZING about this “miscommunication,” but I guess I can see why they are doing it, when they probably assume (correctly) that the ankle-biters will be sniping at them for spreading incorrect information to the public.

Come on, y’all, you claim to be the heirs to the new media, you want to be taken seriously…act like it.

OK, now I’m finished with this one. I hope.