For 69 days, 33 Chilean miners were stuck in an underground mine. For 69 days, they were away from family, society, day-light, and open-room.
But as they sent the specially-made pod down the cave, we waited. Anderson Cooper was covering the story for CNN as the first of 33 miners surfaced. As the pulley tugged the pod, the anticipation built. Cooper was narrating the scene as the 20 minute voyage to the surface was happening. He pointed out the miner’s family waiting for him. Even the Chilean President was on hand for the rescue.
Finally, the pod surfaced. Cooper went silent as the scene unfolded. The rescuers went to the pod and open the door. The crowd was ready to erupt. They unbuckled the miner from his pod as he walked out.
Florencio Avalos, the first rescued miner, left the pod and walked to his son and wife, as millions cheered.
He hugged his son and his wife for the first time in over three months. Everyone on scene was in tears, and there’s not a dry eye watching at home.
The miner was eventually put on a stretcher and sent to a local hospital for observation. CNN went back to teary-eyed Cooper recapping the first rescue.
In today’s world, we like to bash and criticize the media. I will admit they are often the well-deserved target of my fury. But there are times that make me proud to be in this field of work. The miners’ rescue coverage was phenomenal reporting work.
It was truly television you couldn’t look away from. Broadcast journalism’s power was never so apparent.
From the underground images, to the camera on the pod, to the emotional reunions on the surface.
Anderson Cooper’s silence during the reunions was an expert move. He let the images speak for themselves. Cooper also showed heart, and wasn’t afraid to show emotion. It was reminiscent of Edward R. Murrow’s announcement to the world the death of President John F. Kennedy.
The media treated the rescues with the respect it deserved. This was an historic event that had a worldwide audience. It was the bright side of today’s media. But now the rescues are over, the aftermath coverage has begun. And let’s just say, the train is already going off its rails.
There’s no doubt the 33 miners’ lives have changed. But to add to their traumatic experience, they are now celebrity-like figures. One of the most popular media topics during the aftermath was how these miners would deal with the public attention. What’s ironic about this is that they would have experts saying that this much attention could be bad for them.
The expert is saying this on TV.
The other big story going around is the miner who was greeted by his mistress. Talk about digging himself into a hole. This is a funny-in-a-sad-way story, but it has gotten to a point where it’s getting bigger than the actual rescue. The mistress should not be bigger than the rescue.
Hey did you hear? There’s already a reality-series in the works. It’s true. The miners have also been offered rights to movies, books, and product endorsements. Here’s my favourite, a sex-aid vitamin company has offered the miners to endorse their product. No lie! I guess it makes sense, who knows better about going deep in dark holes!
I want to finish with a message to the media. Media, this is Adam. You did a great job with the rescue coverage. But please, please don’t screw this up! The last thing I want is to give the aftermath coverage a shake of the fist.
