New York Daily News

Reporting that a dozen trapped coal miners were alive, only to have to report three hours later that they were dead, was no easier for those covering the news than it was for those watching, correspondents say.

Late Tuesday and into Wednesday morning, based on information from family members and other sources, the cable news networks were reporting that the miners miraculously had survived.

But that turned out to be bad information.

“We didn’t tell the families what happened, the families told us what happened,” Geraldo Rivera said Wednesday on the Fox News Channel. “The families were informed by the governor and his staff and by other rescue-connected people. We were here and took the same emotional ride as the families.”

In fact, for hours early Wednesday, all three cable news networks reported that the miners were safe and interviewed happy family members. Anchors, who had glum faces earlier in the day, smiled frequently as they delivered the good news.

“This was a collision of misinformation where the consequences meant life or death for the families waiting here,” the Fox News Channel’s Bill Hemmer told the New York Daily News.

Officials at the International Coal Group, which runs the mine, said Wednesday they regretted allowing the jubilation to go on for about three hours, or about two hours beyond when they knew the initial report may have been wrong.

“To me, there are a lot of questions that need to be answered,” CNN’s Anderson Cooper said. “I think a lot of people here are furious at mine officials. If officials knew (the initial report) was incorrect, why didn’t they come forward?”

International Coal Group officials said they didn’t want to compound the confusion with more vague reports.

But reporters, particularly those in high visibility posts, are being slammed for relaying erroneous information and relying on testimony from hopeful family members. Some critics are characterizing the situation as one more example of the media sacrificing due diligence to be first with a story.

Cooper said not to blame the media.

“In hindsight, you think, yeah there are things you could have done,” said Cooper. “But at the time we had multiple sources telling us the information and we had people in positions of authority … telling us the information was correct. When you have officials telling you something and eyewitnesses telling you something, at some point you have to rely on that information.”

MSNBC’s Rita Cosby said they had confirmation of the initial report from numerous sources.

“We were not at all solely relying on (information from) family members,” said Cosby. “The hospital spokeswoman was on my air live saying that she was told that the miners were coming to her hospital and … they were alive. We had a local fire chief who was told that 12 miners were alive. He got his information from the command center. I interviewed Chris Hamilton, the senior vice president for the West Virginia Coal Association. So we had multiple, multiple sources and multiple official sources.”

Like family members, reporters at the scene were angered by the egregiousness of what mine officials are terming “miscommunication.”

The dramatic circumstances of the story also may have contributed to the confusion as sleeplessness combined with what may have an unrealistic hope that the miners would emerge alive from a shaft 200 feet below ground and infused with deadly carbon monoxide gas.

“It is still not clear to us what was said to whom and when,” said Hemmer, “and who was interpreting those comments on the other end and what were they choosing to hear as opposed to what was said.”