Posted on 01/04/2006 5:14:08 AM PST by governsleastgovernsbest
by Mark Finkelstein
January 4, 2006 - 07:58
Once in a while, it happens. TV serves up human drama in real time. It happened on this morning's Today show when the bereaved son of one of the Sago miners confronted the governor of West Virginia over allegedly lax safety enforcement in the mine.
Matt Lauer began with a stand-up interview, at the disaster site, of WV Governor Joe Manchin. Lauer then brought in John Bennett, the adult son of Jim Bennett, one of the miners who died, who stood on Lauer's other side.
Bennett described the history of violations in the mine. Lauer turned to Manchin to inquire about the violations, and Manchin launched into his response when Bennett took matters into his own hands. He spoke across Lauer directly to Manchin: "with all these roof falls and everything that has happened over the multiple months, not weeks, months, that this has happened," Manchin began to reply when Bennett again cut him off: "and they still send men in there?"
It was a poignant moment, as one's heart when out to the son. At the same time, it was an ultimate political moment: a politician on live national TV confronted by a bereaved constituent suggesting the governor's responsibiity for the death of his father and others.
Manchin remained calm and, without directly responding to Bennett's question, described the seals in the mine that had been blown out.
Lauer followed with an apt question to Manchin of his own: "when the average person across the country hears that this mine had been cited for 46 violations as recently as late December, it is hard to understand why it was open for business on Monday when that explosion occured."
Manchin replied by stating that even one fatality is too many, that mining is an inherently dangerous operation, and by mentioning that his own family had suffered a mining death [his uncle was killed in an infamous 1968 disaster in which 78 miners died]. "I know exactly how the families feel. I've been there."
Lauer turned back to Bennett, who seemed on the verge of putting another question to Manchin, when Lauer deflected it, asking Bennett "what questions would you like to put to the mine operators?" Bennett paused, palpably changing directions, and suggested that, for fear of losing their jobs, the men were afraid to speak out about the unsafe mine conditions. Bennett decried the absence of the United Mine Workers to protect the men in the non-union Sago mine.
Bennett conducted himself with dignity, as did Manchin, who is clearly in the crisis of his political life. There were no winners or losers, simply a spontaneous human moment, brought to us in real time.
Sorry, but can't agree with you here. Yes, TV can exploit people's grief. But the son here was a fully-grown man who obviously chose to appear, and as a result was given the opportunity to confront the governor on live TV and make his points about mine safety, etc. in a way that will almost surely have much more impact than if he did not appear. I do not believe he will feel exploited.
then i'm thinking $250 is not a very serious violation.
If they are anything like OSHA then a $250 fine is really minor.
OSHA will cite you for not having paper cups by the water jug.
Can't use your own personal cups ,no, must be paper cups just in case a visitor drops in.
Please see #41.
Make your point.
i am certain the regs are analogous to OSHA. 46 violations in a year, of this magnitude, do not make this a slumlandlord mine operator looking to endanger his nonunion miners for a buck, which is i fear where the MSM would like to take it.
He should have absolutely been sure those miners were alive before announcing it, you agree with me on that?
The Today show has a long history of exploiting people's grief
I'll never forget Katie during Columnine and how she exploited that
The simple fact is, there are as many accidents in union mines as there are in non-union mines. We all have to wait to hear what happened here. From the sounds of it, with the permanent seals broken, it appears the explosion happened in the closed mine next door.
Ahh so rather than looking for safer jobs they went into a mine they knew was unsafe?
I never had a job yet that was worth my life.
One wonders what type mindset makes a person make such a decision.
I agree. He will not feel exploited because he is grieving and the lure of bright lights and a celebrity will mask the feelings of exploitation. These people are in a vulnerable position and are easy to take advantage of.
Tell me that "reporters" don't recognize this fact.
Thanks, PB. The purpose of my post was not to agree or disagree with the son's allegations, or to defend or condemn the governor. I just wanted to describe a rare moment of spontaneous, authentic human drama on live TV.
Agreed, but don't you think the accusations are more and more, well, crazy? Just look that number of people who thought that a plane never hit the Pentagon, or that the military shot down the plain that crashed in PA on 09/11/01, or that levees in NO were blown up, or any of the other comments made in regards to Katrina? Read the book "Bushwhacked" by Molly Ivins and you'll get the idea.
And no, It is not just for Bush hating Libs. When Micheal Rivero was a poster on FR, he came replete with a suitcase full of conspiracy theories, some of them downright kooky.
It isn't Manchin's fault. He is far more "Republican" than most Republican politicians are. He has cut taxes and pushed through some medical malpractice and other legal reforms. As far as I can tell, he is strongly against abortion and strongly against gun control. Back when he was a private citizen with his own business, one local labor union went on strike against him.
He's a good man. I've voted for him before, and if I were still a WV citizen, I would vote for him again in a heartbeat.
Bush has had many opportunities to ban all natural lightening, yet he has failed to do it. Shame on him!!! It's his fault!!!
The news clip I saw .. the Governor didn't announce it
The news clips I saw was the Governor saying they found out the news from family members and how he asked his people of they heard anything about this and they said no, there was no confirmation of the news
Thank you for the info
I don't know anything about Manchin ..
But from what I can tell of the media reports .. this accident was not his fault
I wondered about that -- I know from my mechanic that he not only has to have a certain number of fire extinguishers around (OK and he actually has more), but that they have to be a specific number of inches from the floor (some of his were a couple of inches too low -- well, he's short!) -- and he got cited.
I meant that in the long run, I do not believe he will feel exploited, even when in retrospect he considers the event.
There was a quid pro quo here. Yes, he helped boost Today's ratings. On the other hand, he was given a priceless platform to make his points and advance his cause. And considering the circumstances, I would say Lauer handled the situation with dignity and respect.
Look, the very purpose of my Today show threads is to criticize the show's pervasive liberal bias. But by the same token, I try to be fair, and I believe this morning's segment represented valid TV journalism.
Try to put yourself in the son's place. Imagine, God forbid, that you had suffered the loss of a family member and believed government or private sector officials were to blame. Wouldn't you consider going on TV to make your point, knowing that the public exposure would greatly increase the pressure on the officials to make the reforms, etc. that you were seeking?
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