An exclusive take on the reporting of the Tasmanian mining rescue, from local blog Generation XY:
One News frees Tasmanian miners
Bill Ralston is being hailed a hero in Tasmania as he secured the freedom of two Tasmanian miners trapped deep underground since Anzac Day.
In what some people have called an act of brilliance, the TVNZ Head of News secured the exclusive rights for the two trapped miners to be freed live during the Breakfast Show at 7am in New Zealand, more than two hours ahead of Australian networks.
"The timing of the men's rescue couldn't have come at a better time," said Ralston after escorting the two freed miners hand in hand from the mine portal. "It's great news. It's your news. It's One News."
The rescued miners were grateful to their Anzac compatriots. "I can see the light at the end of the tunnel and I have our fellow cousins Downunder to thank for that."
It is understood that the two trapped miners survived on Zespri and Watties Food in a Minute meals and listened to Shihad and Steriogram on their iPods.
And that is not the only Kiwi connection. One of the emergency rescue worker's sister's brother-in-law was born in Taihape.
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Here's a weird but true tale. A communications professional was sent a freebie from Telecom. "It's a hat. Fair enough, but the slogan on the front is simply ' no worries', which is more than just a little ironic right now."
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A reader provides a helpful public service announcement: "Your readers may be interested in this if they received a speeding ticket from a parked speed camera at Onewa Interchange Northern Motorway heading into city, on April 14 early morning. I got one doing 91km in 80km zone. Fair enough except for the fact the speed limit in this zone is 100km. I was going to pay it, but luckily did a check first. I should imagine there are quite a few innocent drivers caught at this one".
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Does the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade know something the rest of us don't? The websites for New Zealand embassies in China, Argentina, Korea, Japan, Spain, Thailand and Taiwan all list "Alliance" leader Jim Anderton as the Deputy Prime Minister. They also go on to say the present Government is a coalition between the Labour Party and the Alliance Party.
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A couple who climbed a suspension bridge in Germany to watch the sunrise sparked a major rescue operation when passersby mistook their stunt for a suicide bid. A driver called police after seeing a man sitting on top of the road bridge on the Main River near Frankfurt, and thought the 25-year-old planned to kill himself. Police cars, fire engines and a police speedboat with divers rushed to the scene. "The man and his girlfriend climbed down from the bridge and said sheepishly they had just wanted to watch the sun come up," police spokesman Franz Winkler said.
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