CNN Nails Mine Owner Murray... With a Big Wet Kiss

When will the traditional media stop rolling out the red carpet for Utah mine co-owner Bob Murray? CNN anchor Kyra Phillips treated Murray like a hero on Wednesday, the same day the Salt Lake Tribune reported on documents that prove Murray had pushed for risky mining methods at Crandall Canyon. Risky mining methods Murray has strenuously denied employing, but which may have contributed to turning his mine into a death scene for three rescuers and six miners.

Phillips did show some grit at one point in the interview -- but not to take on Murray. Instead she stood strong in support of the job her network has done covering the story: "I can tell you right now as a journalist here at CNN, and our entire news operation, in no way shape or form have we forgotten what each one of those miners has done."

But no one has suggested that CNN has forgotten what the miners have done. The problem is that they have forgotten what Murray has done to the miners.

It took CNN 12 days, as Arianna pointed out here, to get around to questioning the safety of the Crandall Canyon mine, offering the chyron, "Safety of Rescue Operation Debated." Instead, the network has given endless air time to Murray and Richard Stickler, Bush's mine safety czar, who has offered more protection to the mining industry than to coal miners.

Phillips had the chance to ask Murray the kinds of questions that could expose dangerous mining practices -- and possibly save lives in the future. Instead, she let the interview become yet another opportunity for Murray to buff his image as the grieving surrogate father of the miners that were killed under his supervision.

Phillips ended the softball interview not by pressing Murray on the day's million-dollar question -- Did you place the recovery of more coal from your mine above the safety of your miners? -- but by asking Murray "How are you holding up?"

She then offered Murray the CNN stamp of approval, telling him: "I appreciate your time... and your honesty."

Perhaps in Phillips' lexicon, "honesty" means phony chest-beating from a mine owner looking to cover his tracks -- tracks that have contributed to the deaths of nine brave men.

John Amato has the video and the transcript at Crooks and Liars.

Follow Katharine Zaleski on Twitter: www.twitter.com/kzaleski

Comments

[MoeJava]

What I want to see reported on all media: Murray going back into the mine - himself - and mining all that coal. If it's so safe, then he ought to lead the charge. Maybe his boss will pay him an extra 1% in his 401-K, and add 50 cents an hour as hazard pay. Then take it ALL away from him by filing Corporate-wide bankruptcy. Then he might be halfway sympathetic with the average American worker.

[TJTelecaster]

Kyra Philips is a total suck up she even sucked up to that shit Chief of Police in New Orleans..

Any authority figure or anything in a uniform..!

CNN has really gone down hill..it's a joke network except for Lou Dobbs, the rest is all one big suck up bland, no news news network, Jack Cafferty ain't bad either..th­e rest suck..!

[JudyGee]

Hey, how about lowering this scumbag non-union mine owner down 2,000 feet, pack him with what the miners have to protect themselves, and leave him there. For good.

[MissFortunate]

But he did everything he could, oh, except prevent this.

[vegasobserver]

More on Kyra Phillips from Wikipedia:

Criticisms

Kyra Phillips was criticised for her perceived insensitivity during an April 16, 2003 interview with Dr Imad al-Najada, the doctor of Ali Ismail Abbas, a 12-year-old boy who lost 15 relatives and both arms when a US missile hit his home in Baghdad.[5­][6] Joan Walsh, news editor of Salon.com, wrote:[7]

"CNN hit rock bottom on Wednesday morning, when anchor Kyra Phillips interviewed Ali's doctor in Kuwait, Dr Imad al- Najada explained that, although Ali told reporters he was grateful for his treatment, he also hopes no other 'children in the war will suffer like what he suffered'. Phillips seemed shocked by Ali's apparent inability to understand we were only trying to help him. 'Doctor, does he understand why this war took place? Has he talked about Operation Iraqi Freedom and the meaning. Does he understand it?'"

On a CNN segment aired on April 21, 2005, one of her guests said that research showed that it was "a proven fact" that "children in same-sex couple homes are 11 times more likely to be abused sexually." ... Phillips called it a "bold statement" and gave the other guest with an opposing view an immediate opportunity to respond to the assertion.­[8] Kelly McBride, ethics group leader at the Poynter Institute, criticized Phillips for failing to challenge the statement, and said it is the responsibility of the anchor to ask pointed questions when such numbers are stated as fact. ...

Discussing live images of the 2006 labor protests in France, in which it was later determined that no one was killed, she said that the images of the demonstrations "Sort of brings back memories of Tiananmen Square, when you saw these activists in front of tanks."[10­] CNN's Chris Burns told French Foreign Minister Philippe Douste-Blazy that her comments were "regrettab­le."[11]

[imusintheevening]

Nice recount of the Ali atory Vegasobserver.

The vacuous minds that can't see the damage we have inflicted on innocent citizens who went from being oppressed to fodder for GOP reelection strategies based on "don't switch Presidents or party control during a war."

CNN did their morph to an opinion channel slowly and insidiously. At least Faux comes out and makes a banner out of their deceit of "fair and balanced".

[vegasobserver]

Kyra Phillips - this airhead deserves to lose her job!!

[AurigaRa]

don't watch CNN

[jackejett]

Kyra Phillips has been a war monger since day one. It is odd that they keep her and Dobbs around.

She really makes no attempt to hide her Bush support. It is all in the neo-lexicon.

jack jett
YabbaDabbaHubbaDo.com

[lilphucker]

Let's be clear here, jack jett. Lou Dobbs is not a war-monger. He consistently criticizes the Bush Administration for the ill-thought invasion/occupation of Iraq. And to be fair to Kyra Phillips, it doesn't appear that it's her job to be a "journalist". She's a "news reader". Comprende the difference?

[totalliberal]

Crying and acting with a catch in his voice about how evil the mountain is. About the seismic activity that caused the collapse of his Swiss-cheese mine. Quite an example of a pious phony christian male. The seismic activity was your badly designed mine collapsing you liar.

And Kyra Philips has never found an ass that she did not want to kiss. Be it general officer or mine owner.

She is the same one who called Michael Moore's calling of Wolf Blitzer hard to stomach.

[CrimsonTom]

Murray repeated that seismic activity bullshit to Anderson Cooper.

I wish we could do CNN like Pop Up Video on VH1 in the '90s. Just simulcast it and everytime someone spouts an insane lie or talking point, a big bubble would pop up with "SHENANIGANS!" in all caps.

[mimsnpips]

I saw the interview go down, Phillips was so soft on this guy I thought she was going to make him chicken soup for his his recuperation. I agree CNN is going (or gone) down hill, even King Wolf is a wimp.

[ZanIts1984]

Indeed.

Anderson Cooper can never replace Aaron Brown. Cooper doesn't press the issue he just brings them up,talks in here is my sympathy, laugh, and says thank you for talking with me. Never does any true journalism by picking an issue and pressing it. He never seems to go for the real truth and sparking real action.

Gupta, what can you say about him. The whole Michael Moore health care issue realized how he doesn't really do any 'real' researching.

Wolf,....w­hat can I say. Boring. Non-Abrasive. spoon fed.

I can go on and on. CNN turned into a lighter version of Fox News a long time ago and so far it doesn't seem to have changed. The more FOX News broadcasts get brain numbing dumb so does CNN in a Fat-Free kind of way.

[Where is Jesus?]

Wait till tomorrow. CNN will take a beating on this. Someone there will reluctantly mention the fact that Maurry did in fact, change the mining engineering that ultimately caused this disaster.

Why aren't they interviewing any of the families who lost loved ones? CNN makes me want to throw up--especially this stupid, vapid idiot-reporter. It's just disgusting! What next? A Fox/CNN merger?

[BadChristian]

When will the traditional media stop rolling out the red carpet for Utah mine co-owner Bob Murray?
----

When will Big Business finally take on big business?

Don't hold yer breath.

[only1Demvoter]

BadChrist___ : As soon as we have the ' Lion's share of the Nations Wealth '??

[Maxbyte]

Murray seemed suspect the first time I saw his mug on TV. People in his line of work -- that is, mining executives and owners -- must be assumed to be little more than "compassionate conservatives".

I do not mean that characterization to refer to a particular political party. I mean it as a comparison to all of the compassion George Bush dished out to Katrina victims, to members of our National Guards, to the men and women who have been sent to Iraq and Afghanistan as kid goats for slaughter to appease the Bush god.

Murray knows how to talk the talk, but the simple fact that he has taken so many risks for so long under a mountain that moves, shakes, and is otherwise unstable, tells the real story about who Murray is and what he stands for: greed without limits.

[only1Demvoter]

Maxbyte : YES. And no... Murray may be simply ' enabled '... givin today's climate. -ralph

[imusintheevening]

I fear you might have bought into the bullshit maxbite. The "moving, shaking and instability" are a direct result of the unsafe mining practices. It has been soun into an excuse for a negligent and cavalier management.

[FogBelter]

What I found amazing about the interview, was Phillips got all hot an bothered about the heat the media was taking on the coverage of the mine disaster ... it seemed she was working up to something ... then ... POOF ... she throws the guy a softball.

Me thinks someone whispered in her ear ... "Don't go there, Kyra." ... and like a fool she listened.

Right there is the line between Journalist and Newsreader ... I'm sure she'd make Art Buchwald proud.

[ProfessorVP]

CNN should interview the evil mountain. "So, what's it like, being an evil mountain?" I ask you, is there a dime's worth of difference between FoxNews and CNN?

[DaveMacaray]

Nice posting there, ProfessorVP. As much as Fox News is demonized and ridiculed, I've never noticed much difference between it and CNN. No, I don't watch either one regularly, so my view could be skewed.

What I'm about to say won't go down well with anyone, but I think it needs to be said. This was a non-union mine. Unlike the United Mine Workers, the miners had no safety language in their contract because they had no contract.

Few people know that the UMW were the last union in America allowed to call a "wildcat strike" (shutting down on their own), w/o reprisal from the company. They were permitted to shut down operations on their own authority if the environment became unsafe.

This extraordinary, yet eminently practical right was negotiated in their union contract. The miners who (one assumes) died in the Crandall tragedy were non-union workers. Why hasn't that circumstance been driven home harder?

[WolfLarsen]

Great comment Dave. Murray has been fighting to keep the union out of his mines so he doesn't have to provide adequate safety for his miners. The pay scale has less to do with it than the safety restrictions that would hamstring his way of mining, which is profit first, safety last. No underground mine in America should be allowed to operate without union protection. Retreat mining has been curtailed and restricted in many states but only after disasters like this one. Several states have adopted rigid guidelines concerning this practice but it should not be a state by state call. This industry needs universal regulations and safety standards. To do less than that is as criminal as Robert Murray. This man is a disgrace.

[LeftLeaner]

Perhaps, but not more than that.