Mine miracle? Media mistake!

In probably one of the worst examples of the news media's rush to get the headline out before the headline is even known, most media outlets reported late into the night Jan. 3 and early Jan. 4 that 12 of the 13 miners trapped in West Virginia because of an explosion had been recovered alive. In fact, hours later, it was revealed that just the opposite was true: Only one was recovered alive. Meanwhile, families and townspeople rejoiced, the news media reported and no one had confirmed whether the report was true or supported by the minimg company or the authorities.

This all occurred at press deadline for most newspapers, and this morning's editions went to press with headlines declaring a miracle had occurred in the mine. By the time those papers hit the doorsteps of readers, the news had changed -- dramatically and for the worse. The Newseum collects daily front pages and has them here. (The pages will likely be archived for future reference, in which case, click on the archives link.) The early edition of The Seattle Post-Intelligencer, the one at our school library, had the headline about miners being found alive. Later editions had a headline about the tragedy. View both here.

Lesson 1 for the news media has got to be that every story needs to be confirmed from an authoritative source or multiple sources. Period.

I watched CNN, which included a replay of the moment when the network broke the news, and a man, panting and emotional, told Anderson Cooper that the 12 men had been recovered alive. Cooper asked repeatedly who had told the man of the success, but the man just referred to the church bells ringing in jubilation. Later, apparently, the media did get the correct information -- after the families had been informed by the mining company and the governor.

Now, the families and citizens are furious at anyone around, blaming everyone and everything for what is just a cruel tragedy. I don't think the media are entirely to blame here -- they reported what was happeneing and what they had been told. Nonetheless, there should have been more caution in the reportage, perhaps with the words "unconfirmed report" attached to graphics and dialog.

Today, there is as much hand-wringing as there is reporting about the results. And it is just more fodder for the people who despise the media.

Note: This version has corrected several typographical errors, including the word "opposite," which was misspelled as "poopsite." That apparently was pretty amusing to some readers.

-- Wenatchee, Wash.