Longing for the day ...

Tryhard Television

You know Channel Nine are struggling in the ratings when they try such a blatant milk of a story of distress. Last night's repeated crosses to the Beaconsfield mine disaster in Tasmanian were pathetic - typically, Mike Munro was in the driver's seat.

Don't get me wrong, this was an important story and Channel Nine did a great job interrupting CSI and getting a crew on site at the Beaconsfield mine. However, you know they're trying too hard when the cross goes for 15 minutes - 10 minutes afer the new information was well and truly covered.

And I'm not talking about the technical SNAFU that had the production staff's mikes being broadcast, so we could hear the studio prompting the poor on-site reporter with questions. Nor the horrible echo effect that this produced in Channel Nine's broadcast sound. It's the quality of the reporting that was most pathetic.

It's absolutely awful when the sister-in-law and the police both say that the guys have been found and that they're alive (which was the great and really inportant news) and that they will probably be very carefully left where they are until it's safe to bring them out ("tomorrow" at the earliest), and then Munro "sums up" by claiming they might emerge any minute. ABC news currently has them emerging in at least another 48 hours. A blatant lie, caught red-handed, Mike.

It's slightly more embarrassing when Munro asks the on-site reporter about how great it would be if the miners could walk out of the Beaconsfield tunnel, just for the cameras - despite being told *twice* that the cameras were screened off from the tunnel entrance. Yes, Mike, it would make for great footage - and that's exactly why people like you are screened off!

The really telling comment? When the sister-in-law of one of the guys, who had been really co-operative and provided some great footage, was called away by the family, Munro asks the on-site reporter "Is there anyone there we can talk to?" ... that's a deadset giveaway!

Pathetic!