We Were Wrong. Your Husband Is Actually Dead. Oops!

First of all, anyone who reads The New York Post simply must take into consideration that what they’re reading is far from what one should consider “news”. I know the Post claims otherwise. The way I see it is they sport nothing more than a bunch of bad puns. There have been numerous occasions that I have been on a train or standing on a street corner and have read a headline or two over someone else’s shoulder and have read some of their headlines which are are just plain insensitive and sensationalistic. I am constantly amazed at the number of people who live and work in and around New York City who choose this rag over the next one. It’s not that it’s a tabloid, it’s the fact that its readers often actually try and defend it as anything more than what it really is, a tabloid.

Today’s blunder was hard for me to ignore. I was up pretty late last night watching the Penn State game go into three overtimes against Florida State University. When I finally went to sleep, the report was that 12 of the 13 miners from West Virginia had been rescued alive. This morning, however, when we awoke listening to the Rachel Maddow show it was actually reported that ALL but 1 of the miners were in fact dead. Now, this must have been a horrible thing for the families to endure. To go from a feeling of jubilation to total shock to absolute anger to raw sorrow all within a couple of minutes has to be one of the most life-shattering moments to endure. But the part that REALLY blows my mind was that nearly EVERY newspaper in the country printed the story. How could that many people be so wrong?

Today, as I stood waiting for the L Train at Graham Avenue I bit my tongue harder than usual trying to stop myself from interrupting every New York Post reader on the platform. It just so happens that next to the New Yorker, The New York Post is often seen in the hands of many while riding the MTA.

A L I V E !

was written in big black lettering, employing the useless, deadbeat Impact Font Family. And for some reason, I suddenly wanted everyone to know that what they were reading wasn’t actually true at all. Then, I realized that it was really none of my business and that they would soon be told the actual truth and preferably by someone other than the New York Post.

The last time I remember this happening was when I fell asleep after hearing that Al Gore won the presidential election. I woke up in an entirely different reality.

I feel so badly for these families. I have gone over and over it again in my head—their thoughts, their emotions, their disbelief. Their suffering is unfathomable. My empathy apparently has boundaries.

12 Comments

  1. Don’t blame the Post for this. They weren’t alone.

    http://www.newseum.org/todaysfrontpages/

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  2. I know. I wrote that every newspaper in the country printed the story. Theirs just stood out this morning because so many people read it.

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  3. Oops, sorry, I didn’t read that far.

    I think most people read the Post because it is sensationalistic. My experience with people who read it acknowledge it as such.

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  4. That’s ok, darlin. I am often times very, very unclear especially during moments of slander.

    The people you know acknowledge it as such but what about all those who read it who we don’t know?

    I am unsure of the how the actual writing is, to be honest. I get stuck right behind the damn headlines. Yikes.

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  5. Hmm, I’m not a reader, so I don’t know. Apparently their sports coverage is decent.

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  6. Speaking of sports, did you watch Penn State last night? Holy Jumping Kidnapped Baby Jesuses it was intense.

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  7. Good grief. I hate the ($*#&&@ media.

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  8. Didn’t see it. You may recall I am a Buckeye fan. And even then, I watched only the last 15 minutes of the Fiesta Bowl. But that was because I had to see the extremely limited release of “The New World” before it leaves town, presumably for some re-tinkering.

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  9. I wouldn’t blame the media on this. There were announcements and press releases last night that 12/13 were alive. The people in the mining town didn’t hear it and ring bells because the media told them, but because the authorities/rescuers did.

    The media did a shitty job in reporting in terms of not substantiating things better – but a newspaper didn’t lie to the families—someone involved with the mining company/rescue attempt did.

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  10. I’ll blame anything I possibly can on the Post even if every paper in the US of A released the story. IT’S THE POST’S FAULT NOW GO STEAL A BABY JESUS!

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  11. OMG. I can’t imagine what these poor families are feeling. I was watching Scrubs last night and saw the little ticker tape thing on the tv saying that 12 were alive. So I went to bed thinking that all was OK. It wasn’t until I checked out your site a few minutes ago that I heard the news. Interesting. I get the news from Mihow news site! I was even listening to Morning Edition as I was taking Isabel to school and there was no mention of it. I hate being three hours behind the rest of the world. Damn west coast!

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  12. thank you. i thought i was hallucinating.
    now i know where to go for the real(mihow)news.so glad i only buy the times for the crossword.good thing i never actually read it.

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