Three West Virginia reporters fired after condemning their company's website interview of ex-coal CEO Don Blankenship

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3 WVa reporters who condemned interview of ex-coal CEO fired
CHARLESTON, W.Va. (AP) — Three reporters from a Pulitzer Prize-winning newspaper in West Virginia say they have been fired after

3 WVa reporters who condemned interview of ex-coal CEO fired

By JOHN RABY
December 13, 2022

CHARLESTON, W.Va. (AP) — Three reporters from a Pulitzer Prize-winning newspaper in West Virginia say they have been fired after publicly criticizing an interview conducted by their company president with a former coal executive who was convicted of a safety violation in connection with the worst U.S. mine disaster in decades. ... Charleston Gazette-Mail reporters Caity Coyne, Lacie Pierson and Ryan Quinn said Tuesday that they were fired due to their comments on Twitter about the video interview, now removed from the paper’s website, with former Massey Energy CEO Don Blankenship.

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HD Media President Doug Skaff, who hosted the interview with Blankenship, did not return a telephone message or an email seeking comment Tuesday. ... In the interview, Skaff is joined by a former television reporter in asking Blankenship about the Republican-dominated legislature, the coal industry, the mine explosion and the 2018 and 2024 elections.

In response to a question about the dwindling coal industry, Blankenship calls climate change “an absolute hoax.” The comment goes unrebutted, even though scientists say their confidence in the fact that global temperatures are rising and that the increase is caused by human activity is equivalent to the scientific certainty that cigarette smoking is deadly. ... Blankenship also is asked to promote his 2020 book about the mine disaster, in which he repeats his claims of innocence and blames the administration of then-President Barack Obama.

Investigations found that worn and broken cutting equipment created a spark that ignited accumulations of coal dust and methane gas. Broken and clogged water sprayers allowed what should have been a minor flare-up to become an inferno. ... In concluding the interview, Skaff tells Blankenship: “Thanks for what you did for the community down there. I know your heart’s in the right place. And you want to see southern West Virginia built back to the best that they can.” ... It’s unclear why the interview was removed from the website.

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