Ten minutes to write. Less time to read.

The Sago Mine saga continues to unfold, as mining families begin to bury their loved ones and the sole survivor struggles for life. In the weeks to come, there will be recriminations all around.

For now, here is what I think.

Anderson Cooper deserves the award for the most insensitive journalist I’ve ever seen on TV. He was interviewing an obviously distraught woman with two children by her side; yet he positioned her for a better camera angle. He then drilled her to repeat and repeat what she had heard and seen. Couldn’t there be a better way to use a time slot?

The first news that the miners were alive was overestimated. I’ve read in two independent accounts that what was really reported was that the rescuers had found the miners and were taking vital signs. From this report grew the word that the miners were alive. Taking vital signs doesn’t guarantee that.

The command center for the rescue operation held conversations with the rescue team in the mine. Evidently, various people overheard those conversations and jumped to the conclusion that the miners were saved. From there, the word went out over cellphones to celebrate.

I find it ironic that my yesterday’s “Ten Minutes” was devoted to cellphones; and now it seems they have contributed to the miscommunication that occurred about the Sago Mine disaster. Misinformation sped rapidly over cellphones, when it would have been prudent to wait and make sure of the outcome.

Of course, it would not have been different if cellphones weren’t involved, because the miners were not dependent on their phones to survive. At the same time, the families who first celebrated their loved ones’ returns and then learned of the real fate went through an emotional ringer not seen since the first washing machine. I’m not sure any human can bear it without animosity.

So is this a polemic against cellphones? Not really. Rather it is a suggestion that when news breaks, it’s prudent to make sure it’s real and not some advertising or marketing or ratings ploy.

That’s one thing we should learn from the Sago Mine disaster.