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Journalism of Courage
As Omar Reygadas,56 one of the 33 miners who was trapped inside the San Jose Mine for 69 days left a special mass on Sunday,cameramen and photographers surrounded him. As he picked his two-year-old great-granddaughter up,he said: Ive had nightmares these days… But the worst nightmare is all of you, he said.
On Saturday,in the Juan Pablo Segundo slum of Copiapó,reporters milled in front of the home of Carlos Mamani,24,a Bolivian. Verónica Quispe,his wife,said: Were poor look at the place we live… You live off our stories,so why cant we make money from this opportunity to feed our children?
Miners have asked for between $40 and $25,000 for interviews. Some media outlets have offered to fly miners to Japan,Germany or Italy for exclusives.
On Friday in Copiapó,reporters gathered outside the home of Florencio Ávalos,the first miner to be rescued. A man identifying himself as Ávaloss cousin said access was possible,for a price.
We paid $500 for the interview, said Ari Hirayama of Asahi Shimbun of Japan.
Jessica Chilla,wife of Darío Segovia,was direct. He is charging for interviews as compensation… He will not give interviews for free,not now or later, she said.
As of Saturday,Segovia had given two interviews,one to a German television station for about $1,040,and another to a Japanese media outlet for about $417.
ABC News said it would broadcast an exclusive interview with miner Mario Sepúlveda,40. ABC licensed material from the family, a spokeswoman,said. Sepúlveda spoke to The Mail on Sunday as the newspaper had treated his family with dignity and kindness,the article said.
It also touched on the crying fits,unsanitary conditions,even rumours that some had sexual relations with others underground,to which Sepúlveda replied: No,nothing like that ever went on.
