OK the title’s not meant to poke fun.
NOT AT ALL.
I just wanted to grab your attention and just say my 2 cents on this whole thing going down in West Virginia.
Now, I don’t watch a lot of TV nor do I pay that much attention to news lately.
If any TV is on, it’s either the local cable music channel stuff or else I switch back and forth between TBS and FOX news and it’s on in the background while I work (from home).
So like I said, I don’t *watch* it. But I do listen a bit here and there.
Last night, I had the TV on almost all night. Who knows why. Every now and again I heard things here and there that perked up my ears.
The first thing that perked up my ears first was Geraldo (aka Jerry Rivers) bawling as his live video feed from WV was being broadcast from the church yard. Everyone was singing hymns and hollering, as the media person at the time was talking to Geraldo and reporting an apparent miracle that these guys had survived. I thought, “Well that’s a relief!” and went pretty much back to work.
About 3 hours later Donna Fiduca comes on the TV and says “What a rollercoaster this has been. [ ]…12 miners are now considered dead and there was only 1 survivor…” or something to that effect.
I did a double-take and thought, “Crikey, that chick’s on crack!”
Because that was all I heard and thought she needs her rest because that is not what everyone else has been reporting for the last 3 hours!
Then it occured to me to pay attention because I heard someone on the scene at the church who was interviewing a WV citizen who was crying and upset and that’s when I knew there was something really wrong.
I felt a twang in my stomach and I was a bit upset to hear all this bad news after having put up with Geraldo’s joyous fit some time earlier, along with all the smiley news reporters grinning and guffawing, the other happy dappy journalists interviewing people left and right. CNN was showing that same stuff too. I thought, “Hey people–give it a rest.”. Wait ’til the press conference.
But there wasn’t one. At least not until 3am. Not good, media people!
About 2 hours or so before the bad news hit the TV stations, I was watching intently on CNN (I do switch back and forth and make up my own mind) where they had split the screen, and in one half, was some sort of industry professional talking and in the other, I saw people yelling at cameras and shooshing them away with their arms waving.
I thought that was *weird*. Hours before, it seemed like everyone left and right at the scene by the church was more than happy to get on camera and have their say. I wondered if it was just people hating on CNN or what.
Now I feel as though that was a foreshadowing to me, that perhaps some of the people were hearing bad news before all the news people gobbled it up and puked it all over the TV.
I don’t know. I just think sometimes, we all need to shut up and pay attention to what’s going on before we shout to the hilltops, and other such nonsense.
The media knows better than that, to wait for the spokesperson or official connected with ACTUAL word on what’s going on. And in my opinion, the governor’s office certainly should have had one of his flunkies rush right over to the church scene and say “WAIT people, we ARE NOT SURE of this information. It’s not been confirmed just yet.”
See, people like to play telephone, and get shit cornfused but good. Some damned fool was probably standing around listening at the rescue scene and not minding his own beeswax, then took “We found them” to mean “They’re alive, and one’s dead…go tell everyone on your Nokia now, you dumb redneck!” Not to offend. I meant that in a funny Jeff Foxworthy tone.
And that’s all she wrote. For now.
Funny about Geraldo’s real name eh? Take such an American Cheese name and spice it up a bit, and viola, Instant Ethnicity!
Sort of like, if Kraft decided to change the name of their popular “Kraft Singles” to ” Rebanadas Queso Americano”.
Hee.