I think CNN should be commended but so should the woman and her children for breaking the news as they fled the church. They didn't have to tell what happened as Anderson said "Come Here" What's wrong. They could have let everyone else in the Nation find out when they found out. Instead she gave correct information of what really happened inside that church. I have a family member that perished. Her reports were accurate and were much appreciated since we could not tell what happened at the time.

Alex
Buckhannon, WV

I think the people I am most po'd with are the mine operators. Why in the world did they wait over two freakin' HOURS to correct this misinformation? It seems that they knew the truth within minutes of the false reports coming out, yet they continued to allow the jubilation and joyful hysteria snowball and expand. Why didn't they quickly step up and say, "Wait a sec folks, this isn't necessarily true."? No doubt there was a lot of irresponsible journalism going on to help spread all of the misinformation, but if the mine company had stepped forward quickly and decisively, most of that false joy and hope could have been avoided.

Sorry, last post was supposed to include a link.

>>Here's what Anderson Cooper has to say about it http://www.cnn.com/2006/US/01/04/btsc.cooper/index.html

Here's what Anderson Cooper has to say about it

I do not think that 24 hr news channels were to blame for this. Yes the whole country and the rest of the world began to think that these miners were alive, but even if the media had not been there at all, the miners familys would have still heard good news when there really was none. The familys deserve answers about why they were allowed to believe this wrong information for so long. When your a kid your told that seeing someone doing something wrong and not stopping it is almost as bad as doing something wrong in the first place, I guess these mine officals didn't get that lesson.

I Think Anderson Cooper did a great job, he said
serveral times once the news broke that they were alive, that this was not a offical report from the coal mine but from the families. I think he did a great job. So lay off.

CNN did mention that they had gotten the report from family members more than once. Everyone had the same misinformation--some of the family members are saying that the mine company specifically told them the miners were alive (which may have been the best information -they- had at the time, or they may have rushed to give the families good news when they had been waiting for so long with nothing). Hatfield said today that he had waited (rightly or wrongly) to correct the information. I saw that bit where the family member was telling the reporter he'd gotten the news from CNN, too--but the family member made it a point of telling the reporter that he'd heard about it from CNN; it's not like the reporter dragged it out of him. We'll find out who got what where as this all unfolds, but it seems likely to me that even if the news crews hadn't been there, it would have happened the same way.

I remember seeing last night that at least one family member said that he found out that the miners were alive from CNN (then the interviewer interrupted that he was "watching the right network", which seemed a little inappropriate at the time). So CNN and their reporting was certainly responsible to some extent. This poor reporting could have been avoided if CNN had checked with the mine rescue officials or simply tagged on a warning that the news was unconfirmed. I think it was irresponsible that CNN never mentioned from whom they obtained the initial news that the miners were alive. Also, saying that "at least [Cooper] was up at 3am reporting" is actually identifying part of the problem with 24-hour news networks that we've been discussing here. In the fight for ratings and to be the first to break a story, journalistic errors are being committed.

can i sue the networks for making me think i am crazy? i saw the news last night that the 12 were alive too, to hear on the radio this morning that they werent. then i started thinking man i dont know why i thought the news said they were alive. thought i had dreamt it or something. then i wondered why would i dream that, this story isnt THAT important to me. class action anyone?

Jan: no one has been more of a supporter to Cooper than me. As I said (and meb said), it wasn't a knock against Cooper. He just happened to be the one I was watching at 1:30am.