Pike River and the Media

My heart and my thoughts go out to the families and friends of those 31 miners who were unfortunate enough to be own the Pike River coal mine at the time of the explosion. Even more so to those of the 29 still inside. It is a terrible tragedy and a horrible loss and wish them all the best in the trying times that are no doubt ahead of them. I have no wishes to diminish or trivialise their pain, for it is very real and I understand that.

But, having said that, the media coverage of the entire event has my blood boiling every time it comes on the TV and radio. It started with the constant coverage of absolutely no news; it moved on to them terrorising grieving and worried families, dragging in any one that has even so much as looked sideways at the mine to get their opinions on the place, finding long lost relatives who have had nothing to do with those trapped for near on a decade and has now moved on the worst sin of all (at least in my book), blame casting.

Perhaps I feel it more keenly through family ties to the emergency services, or perhaps I am just more... logical or empathetic than the media, but what ever it is, it really annoys me when people become determine to place the blame for either natural, or undefined tragedies.

It is the first principle of an emergency that the rescuer must first mind for his or her own safety. I was taught that in primary school so it is not like it is a complex or new idea. It would do nobody any good if those that were sent to help got into trouble themselves. That was the principle that they used during the earthquake here a couple of months ago, and that is the principle that they used at the mine. With methane levels of 95% that hardly comes as a surprise.

And yet people still find it acceptable to claim that the rescue teams are not doing enough. They are doing all that they can and the police superintendent deserves praise for the work he is doing, not judgment and condemnation from an American nobody that is so far removed from the situation that they probably still thing that New Zealand is a part of Australia let alone the location of a small West Coast town such as Reefton.

I can understand that the families are worried and they want answers and their people back safe to them. Believe me, I understand that.

But the rescuers - they have families too. How is sending them to their deaths going to make anything better?

And how does the media storm always find the one disgruntled relative to talk to - or is it just that that is the only one that will ever talk to them. That's probably more like it.

So, just for the record, the rescuers are not to blame, the government is not to blame, the police are not to blame and neither is the CEO of the mine. The fault lies in an explosion with an unknown cause and the fault lies with the nature of coal. It is as simple as that - no matter how callous that sounds (that is not my intent) - nature is nature and no one person can change that.

So with that said, big hugs go out to not only the families of the miners but also the rescue crews and people working on the rescue, the remaining staff of Pike River and the police superintendent. You are all doing wonderfully given the situation and should be proud.

The Nay-Sayers on the other hand, should be ashamed of themselves.