A minor earthquake caused a rockfall in Tasmania that initially trapped 17 miners underground. 14 reached a safety chamber and were rescued. Three were trapped further down the mine. One has been found dead and has been brought back to the surface. That leaves 2 still down there. They’ve been there since Anzac Day last Tuesday.

Though surveilleance equipment has found them to be alive and efforts are being made to rescue them. The danger of a further rockfall is ever present.

Cramped, caged and clinging on - National - smh.com.au
Miners get sustenance from rescue effort | News | The Australian
Australian miners: ‘Get us out’ - Asia-Pacific - MSNBC.com

One thing that was jarring out of all this was the callous behaviour of the TV channels when they found the 2 miners who were still alive. TV crew and reporters went up to the families and ask them how they felt and all that. The responses are obvious of course but what got me were questions like this to a young daughter of one of the miners:

What are you going to do when you see your daddy?

The girl was shy and then the reporter egged her on:

Are you going to give him a big hug and a kiss?

To which the little girl said, “Yes”. What else would she say!? It is sick to be playing with a child’s hope like that when the miners are not out of danger yet. And then not to mention the insensitivity shown to the family and friends of the miner who wasn’t as fortunate and had died.

TV channels know that disasters and footage of ppl in distress makes great viewing. However the news should and can be reported without milking ppl’s emotion when they are already vulnerable and tired.

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