News media sue to open mine investigation
1:00 AM
Posted: Tuesday, October 02, 2007
SALT LAKE CITY (AP) -- A coalition of news media organizations, including The Associated Press, sued the federal government Monday to halt a probe into a mine disaster until a judge can decide whether the proceedings should be public.
The U.S. Labor Department has refused to allow the public to attend interviews during the government's investigation of the Aug. 6 mine collapse in central Utah.
Six miners are presumed dead after the cave-in the Crandall Canyon mine, although their bodies have not been recovered. Ten days after the collapse, three people, including a mine inspector, trying to tunnel toward the miners were killed in a second collapse.
The Salt Lake Tribune had requested that investigative hearings by the Mine Safety and Health Administration be open to the public, but its request was denied. The AP and other media outlets joined in the request for a temporary restraining order to prohibit further investigative work until hearings and transcripts are made public.
"Reporters do not sit in crime labs or prosecutors' offices, so why would the attorneys for The Salt Lake Tribune think this case is any different as an ongoing investigation?" David Jones, a Labor Department spokesman, said last week.
The mining accident came a year after several coal mine disasters spurred a flurry of new mine-safety laws. It has led some to question the performance of the Labor Department's Mine Safety and Health Administration.
Meanwhile, some family members of the nine people killed at Crandall Canyon were traveling to Washington for two days of congressional hearings starting Tuesday. Some planned to testify Wednesday.
"It will be a bittersweet moment," said Kristin Kimber, the ex-wife of Brandon Kimber, a miner who died in the rescue attempt.
"To ensure this won't ever happen again is the purpose of us going," she said.
In the Tribune's initial request, the newspaper pointed to a federal judge's ruling following the 1984 Wilberg mine disaster that the investigation should be open to the public. An appeals court vacated the ruling but transcripts were released.
Joining the AP and the Tribune in the lawsuit in U.S. District Court are CNN, the Deseret Morning News of Salt Lake City and the Utah Media Coalition, an association of Utah newspapers, television stations and professional journalism organizations.
The U.S. Labor Department has refused to allow the public to attend interviews during the government's investigation of the Aug. 6 mine collapse in central Utah.
Six miners are presumed dead after the cave-in the Crandall Canyon mine, although their bodies have not been recovered. Ten days after the collapse, three people, including a mine inspector, trying to tunnel toward the miners were killed in a second collapse.
The Salt Lake Tribune had requested that investigative hearings by the Mine Safety and Health Administration be open to the public, but its request was denied. The AP and other media outlets joined in the request for a temporary restraining order to prohibit further investigative work until hearings and transcripts are made public.
"Reporters do not sit in crime labs or prosecutors' offices, so why would the attorneys for The Salt Lake Tribune think this case is any different as an ongoing investigation?" David Jones, a Labor Department spokesman, said last week.
The mining accident came a year after several coal mine disasters spurred a flurry of new mine-safety laws. It has led some to question the performance of the Labor Department's Mine Safety and Health Administration.
Meanwhile, some family members of the nine people killed at Crandall Canyon were traveling to Washington for two days of congressional hearings starting Tuesday. Some planned to testify Wednesday.
"It will be a bittersweet moment," said Kristin Kimber, the ex-wife of Brandon Kimber, a miner who died in the rescue attempt.
"To ensure this won't ever happen again is the purpose of us going," she said.
In the Tribune's initial request, the newspaper pointed to a federal judge's ruling following the 1984 Wilberg mine disaster that the investigation should be open to the public. An appeals court vacated the ruling but transcripts were released.
Joining the AP and the Tribune in the lawsuit in U.S. District Court are CNN, the Deseret Morning News of Salt Lake City and the Utah Media Coalition, an association of Utah newspapers, television stations and professional journalism organizations.
Story Comments
Read More and Post Comments 0 comment(s)
Please note: The following are comments from readers. In no way do they represent the views of The Sioux City Journal or Lee Enterprises. We will not edit or alter your comments, but we do reserve the right to not post or to remove comments that violate our code of conduct. No comment may contain potentially libelous statements; obscene, explicit or racist language; personal attacks, insults or threats. Terms of Service
