Train derailment and chemical spill in Ohio

The day it happened it was the lead story on NBC Nightly News.

 

Crash happened February 3. Here's the coverage February 4. Including network live shots from the scene.

Check the USA Today link. It had video of the crash.

50-car train derailment causes big fire, evacuations in Ohio

Train derailment in northeastern Ohio sparks massive fire | CNN

www.npr.org/2023/02/04/1154485564/ohio-freight-train-derailment-fire-evacuation

https://www.washingtonpost.com/nation/2023/02/04/east-palestine-ohio-train-derailment/

https://www.usatoday.com/story/news...-fire-evacuations-east-palestine/11186069002/

Blaze from 50-car train derailment in Ohio still burning

7:00 p.m. Update: NTSB investigating East Palestine train derailment

 

As I think about the coverage of this, I began to realize it's going to be a decades-long story. Reams of digital ink will be used to chronicle the various angles and lasting effects on the people and environment. That said, it did get shuffled to the back by the balloons.

Also, I was driving yesterday morning and found myself listening to some morning show hosted by somebody called Kid Kraddick (spelling?) and a cast of bozos. They mentioned the train derailment and one of the chuckle crew said "I can't believe the government set those trains on fire to get rid of the toxic chemicals." Nobody corrected him.

 

This is a great point. And to your point, I think news outlets are still trying to wrap their minds around exactly what kind of environmental disaster is unfolding. Not to mention the amount of news outlets that have laid off the sort of reporter who might be an expert in such things.

 

That too!

Looking at the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, there have been five different bylines on various stories about the derailment. But even that wasn't enough as some stories came from the AP and even "Staff and Wire Reports."

 

It hasn’t been covered that well, or that closely, at the start.

Greta tweeted about it in the last day so I imagine, now that climate change Twitter is aware, it’ll become a far bigger story,

 

I forgot about the balloons already. Speaks to my attention span, I reckon.

The point about newspapers no longer having reporters who have background in these types of issues is a pretty good one.

 

again:

It was covered like a big spot news event, which it was.

Coverage ramped up when authorities announced the 'controlled release' - and when Evan Lambert was arrested at De Wine's press conference.

The real problem here isn't the coverage - or Greta - but the national news diet.

People were full of balloon, and had no room left over for what will play out as a slow-motion environmental poisoning story.

 

Longtime rail journalist here. FUKC DeWine and the Ohio cops who arrested that reporter, may those fascists rot in hell.

Derailments are a fact of life on the railroad as much as car crashes are on highways. There are many possible causes and until something comes of the NTSB investigation, no point in guessing. This one will be out of the headlines as soon as the next shiny thing comes along.

The world is one giant hazmat supply chain. A fertilizer warehouse detonates in Beirut. A boatload of EVs burns. A semi full of chlorine gas crashes and leaks.

The zombie sheeple shrug and go back to their Wordle.

 

Well, @Azrael it wasn't covered well enough to catch the attention of the PUPPETMASTERS of Big Environment who tell Greta what to tweet.

 

That fertilizer plant explosion in West, Texas, has never been solved.

 

Must not be any diners in East Palestine, Ohio.