A year ago today, I wrote a post headlined, “Welcome to Coal Tattoo … “
This is my 981st post, and so far we’ve received more than 6,100 comments. When I told my wife last night that today was Coal Tattoo’s first birthday, she responded, “Huh. It seems like it’s been longer.” My long-suffering wife — a much more creative person than I — actually named the blog. And she and my son deserve much thanks for putting up with me blogging at all hours of the day and night as I struggled to figure out this new project.
Thanks also to the management of the Gazette and to my editors who have been very patient with me doing less for the daily print paper while I blogged away on Coal Tattoo.
And especially, thanks to everyone who has taken the time to read and to comment, and especially to point out where I was wrong, needed to rethink something, or wasn’t being as fair as I’d like to be. This blog has been far, far more work than I ever thought it would be. But it’s also been very rewarding.
I’ve learned a lot from my readers and I hope the blog has made some contribution to a reasonable public discussion of the issues facing the coalfields.
Not much else to post today … I’m hoping this will be an open thread where folks will jump in and point out what they liked, disliked, would like to see more of, and think maybe Coal Tattoo could do without.
Thanks again for reading and commenting …
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Ken,
I like to think you’re out in front of the curve on issues relating to journalism as a whole, not to mention these WV-centric issues. Moreover, with what you’re doing, you’re proving that these issues aren’t WV-centric at all; that what happens here has a ripple effect all over the country.
I also extend my congratulations to Gazette management for allowing you the writerly space in which to pursue this experiment. More content, not less; more access, not less is what will save the print industry. Tell ‘em I said they’re getting it right with Coal Tattoo.
Ken, management should be thanking you for actually having the initiative and vision to get out front on something like this. I’m also guessing (not to get the Labor Department involved) that you don’t get paid for anywhere near all the time you spend researching stories and updating the blog.
Agree or disagree with what you write (and I’m capable of both) you’re a significant asset to the Gazette and contribute a great deal to the discussion of coal and other issues.
Congrats to your family on surviving the first year!
Ken,
Many many thanks to you for the countless hours of work you have done this year. While we have been recipients of both your compliments and criticisms, we appreciate great journalism when we see it. This blog has been an invaluable tool in elevating the discussion in Washington DC among policy makers from Congress to the White House, as well as at home amongst our friends, family, and members.
I’d like to echo what Bob said in that I think places like Coal Tattoo represent the best of “the future of media.” The Gazette management deserves a lot of appreciation for allowing this project to flourish and provide a successful template for the ever changing world of interactive media.
Best wishes to you and your family, and thanks again.
peace,
JW
Dear Ken,
Thank you very much for making Coal Tattoo what a blog should be – newsworthy, informative, interesting and interactive – an invaluable resource. Your hard work is very apparent and we appreciate your work very much.
Antrim Caskey
Ken,
West Virginia is very lucky to have the world’s best reporter on the subject of coal and the Gazette for giving him a desk. Keep up the great work.
Happy birthday, CT, and thanks, Mrs. Ward, for letting Ken come out to play! I don’t remember the first time I read CT, but I know I bookmarked it that very day – and I drop by for a visit 2-3 times a day at a minimum. It’s quickly become indispensable!
Great job, Ken.
Happy birthday, Coal Tattoo! Ken, congratulations on a job well done. I look forward to reading your reporting for many more years.
Ken,
No offensive, but Coal Tattoo is tiny in comparison to the things that you do.
For example:
2006
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WxBUZtXzDa0
The tragedy of the Sago mine disaster garnered the intense attention of the media in early January 2006, but few reporters dug deeper to find out if the deaths of coal miners could have been prevented. Until reporter Ken Ward Jr. and The Charleston Gazette did just that, by pouring over the accident reports involving hundreds of miners. Ward found that most miners do not die in disasters, in the glare of the media spotlight, but one by one, in mining accidents that could have been avoided if mine operators had followed existing regulations and safety rules. “They don’t have to die,” Ward concluded. “That’s what the reports show. That’s what the record shows.”
http://www.pbs.org/wnet/expose/expose_2007/blog/ken_ward_jr/
—-
http://ej.msu.edu/kenward.php
http://twitter.com/Kenwardjr
http://www.wvgazette.com/News/MiningtheMountains
http://www.niemanwatchdog.org/index.cfm?fuseaction=about.viewContributors&bioid=202
http://www.environmentwriter.org/resources/qa/0506_kenward.htm
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ken_Ward,_Jr.
bob mooney,
Thanks for pointing out all of our Sago and other mine safety coverage.
I have to say I am more proud of the Gazette’s work on mine safety in 2006 than anything I’ve done in my time here.
One disappointment I have with Coal Tattoo thus far is I haven’t written as much about the working conditions for coal miners as I’d like, and the posts about mine safety haven’t generated as much discussion as I had hoped they would.
I will be working on that over this next few months.
Ken.
I’m “on sabbatical,” after almost a year of daily reading and regular posting. Being a part of the diverse Coal Tattoo community was a highlight of 2009 for me. Maybe there are blogs like this elsewhere but I have not seen them. Thanks Ken and the Gazette and all of the posters and readers for making this little miracle happen! Eyes wide open!
Ken,
You cannot keep doing what you do nor is what-you-do doing enough.
All this doing is not changing what happens.
Something different is needed to change what happens.
The focus needs to be: What is that needed something different?
Bob
P.S. Miner safety is an oxymoron.
Ken:
Thanks for keeping something going that allows all sides of the coal issue to be presented (and yes, there are more than two sides). We are all indebted to Ms. Ward.
And rhmooney3, your P.S. is an insult to those of us who worked tirelessly on behalf of miners and their lives, including Ken. Miner safety is most definitely NOT an oxymoron – it is a mission for thousands who take it very seriously indeed.
Ken,
Thank you for creating this great informative blog. I commend you for your determination to provide the truth in detail while providing a forum for folks to discuss mining related issues that affect all of us. Happy Birthday Tatoo.
Congratulations on the anniversary. I’m sure it has been time consuming but rewarding to many. Thanks for the open dialogue and interaction. Plus I wrote you a thesis (well maybe a few pages) on safety.
Phil Smith,
I’m sorry that my comment was mistaken to be an insult — it was meant to be an acknowledgement of a very dangerous occupation that we all rely upon.
It’s not meant to be insulting to say there is no such thing as being totally safe for miners (and especially so for those underground).
I appreciate and applaud mine safety efforts, but no amount of efforts will make mining a safe occupation — it is just not possible.
As the media spokesperson for the UMWA, you well realize the endless and overwhelming efforts neccessary to protect the lives and welfare of miners even though their safety cannot be absolutely asured.
(Please contact me directly since these blog postings are to reflect and celebrate Coal Tattoo and Ken Ward’s contributions overall.)
Hey folks, thanks so much to everybody for their very kind words … but I am interested in hearing constructive criticism and getting suggestions for the future of Coal Tattoo … Ken.
Constructive criticisms and birthdays don’t go together. Maybe I’ll think of something tomorrow.
first, happy birthday. there is no other source and no other person who collects and presents the facts like Ken Ward Jr. It’s even more revealing to read the haters off-site, who refuse to address Coal Tatoo or KW analysis, facts or context and instead throw slurs and call names. The picture “LIAR” says it all: the truth hurts.
That said I am also very thankful for the diversity of views that are expressed here and for the people that express them. Other fora which I frequent do not offer the same opportunity for constructive dialogue and airing ideological disagreements in a civil fashion.
second, in the spirit of constructive criticism, a delete comment button would be nice. Not sure if you can do it, but a couple of times i have written things that upon later reflection I would have deleted. The internet is a less than personal mode of communication and we (I) have not yet optimally adapted to the medium.
many more!
Ken, well, okay here it is. I don’t really know where I stand exactly on man-made climate change as it just depends on what side of the bed I wake up on. I am not in the camp that it’s settled and you have agreed somewhat recently to discussing the issue here on your blog and I appreciate that. I can’t argue this stuff one way or another like MX2 or others. As such here’s some things to address/debunk or what ever:
“Climatologists have puzzled over why global average temperatures have stayed roughly flat in the past decade….” “Nor do current warming models fully account for all the complexities of water-vapor shifts in the stratosphere. And scientists have yet to pin down why cold point temperatures in the tropics fell in the past decade.”
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB20001424052748704194504575031404275769886.html
Hacked e-mails are being investigated by U.K.’s Information Commissioner’s Office not only on how they became public but also to check for evidence that data were handled in ways that are “at odds with acceptable scientific practice and may therefore call into question any of the research outcomes.” Requests for information on climate data under the Freedom of Information Act to the university were submitted in 2007 and 2008 but were not provided and as such the University, for some reason, broke the law.
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704194504575031022338013284.html
Penn State Michael Mann investigated. Penn State said it is undertaking the new inquiry because the purloined emails may be undermining public confidence in Dr. Mann’s findings, “in science in general and climate science specifically.”
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748703575004575043693339038422.html
“This has not been the proudest of weeks for science. Twelve years after publishing an article purporting to prove a link between childhood vaccines and autism, the prominent British medical journal Lancet finally retracted the paper in its entirety”. “Flawed and unoriginal work gets published and promoted, while publication of truly original findings is often delayed or rejected…”. “Guardian newspaper noted that Prof. Phil Jones, then head of the Climate Research Unit at the University of East Anglia in England, bragged about scuttling the work of scientists who might have called his own work into question.”
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB20001424052748704041504575045334195791838.html
Sometimes this peer review process takes over a decade to get “science” straightened out. This is just an extremely important issue whether it’s something that absolutely needs to be addressed or if it’s something that will cost an excessive amount, possibly unnecessarily. I know that these are all WSJ articles but they are a pretty professional bunch at separating reporting from the editorial page.
So happy one year anniversary again and are you sure you want to do another year? I hope so.
It does feel like it’s been more than a year for us readers also. Coal Tattoo has catapulted the debate around West Virginia mining forward in such a huge way. The daily information and conversation on this site have become absolutely essential in such a short period of time. Ken, thanks so much for your amazing work.
I would add my hip-hip-hoorah to those of the other commenters. I also have a suggestion.
I think the conservations would be have greater continuity, be more constructive, if the comments were searchable. You get no results if you search for scott14, “one citizen,” “forrest roles,” casey, rhmooney3, etc., etc. Even if you search for more famous people like Guttata, Phil Smith, Roselle, etc., you only get the stuff where they show up in KW’s original posts — even though all these commenters are such a critical part of understanding the issues and the blog.
I’m pretty low-tech, so maybe this is just a case of my failure to use the website properly. But I think some clarification and/or resolution would be an improvement.
It would be very honest of you to return to the site of the above MTM site and take another picture form the same vantage point. I would love to see how well the tattoo has heal post reclamation.
Happy Birthday! I just started reading your posts recently, and commend you for creating not only such an informative blog, but also a place where people can freely discuss current events/issues.
Thanks, and keep up the good work.
It seems like the Coal Tattoo has been with us a lot longer than a year, and has definitely become one of those sites I frequent way more than I should. My only criticism tonight is that birthday cake bears too much resemblance to the Massey flaming flat mountain Mount Doom-looking logo. Maybe a pair of solar powered LED candles will adorn the second birthday cake.
Here is a suggestion, but directed to those that post more so than Ken.
If we are to have reasonable discussions on coal related issues why not attach your real name to your post? Post using fake names automatically are less credible than those that use their real name. I imagine people at the WV Coal Assc. have posted here many times. Why disguise that?
Happy Birthday! When journalists from beyond the state’s border contact OVEC about what is going on with energy issues in the “Extraction State” –er the Mountain State, I refer them to Coal Tattoo and the Mining the Mountains series –both invaluable assets as we Americans try to figure out what we are going to do for energy in the future and what “cheap” energy really costs humanity.
Bo,
I suspect Ken knows the real identity of all, or almost all, folks that make frequent posts. When this site gets ugly it is when people attack a person and not the ideas and thoughts of others. Your tweets on Blankenship being an example.
Casey, you are making my point. Blankenship’s tweets are offensive to me, but I give him credit for using his name. I could use a fake name and tweet, but what’s the point. If you believe in your opinion why hide your identity?
Congrats, Ken. The Coal Tattoo is absolutely indispensable to any serious environmentalist in West Virginia. It’s one of the very few “trusted sources” I go to for news and insight about the whole world of coal in our beleaguered but wild and wonderful state. Please keep it up!
‘constructive comment?’ how about just referring to elizabeth as your wonderful wife? she does not fit into the “long-suffering” category. way too victim-y for her!
great going for a year…keep it going for more…
[...] here to see the original: Blogs @ The Charleston Gazette – » Happy Birthday, Coal Tattoo! Tags: business, coal-tattoo, columnists, congress, entertainment, opinion, politics, sports, [...]
[...] Today found this great post, here is a quick excerpt : When I told my wife last night that today was Coal Tattoo’s first birthday, she responded, “Huh. It seems like it’s been longer.” My long-suffering wife — a much more creative person than I — actually named the blog. … Read the rest of this great post Here [...]
Happy Birthday! Ken you and The Charleston Gazette are to be congratulated for a wonderful blog (Coal Tattoo), it is the only site that is going to give the complete story of any issue, you are a “Breath of fresh air” keep up the great work.
Ken. What do you think of this statement?
“He says it in his speeches, but he doesn’t say it in here,” Rockefeller said, referring to the budget proposal. “He doesn’t say it in the actions of [EPA Administrator] Lisa Jackson. And he doesn’t say it in the minds of my own people. And he’s beginning to not be believable to me. So I want you to put me at rest or put me away.”
Obama is not doing anything to stop MTR. Our representatives are acting like they are fighting Obama. I see no action that supports land saving concerns. Yet there is all this talk in DC about stopping an administration that is doing little or nothing. Do you think this is all just talk? I am not sure that I am seeing anything changing, except words.
I just thought that I would ask for your opinion. Does anyone in power in Washington honestly want to make laws that change the balance between coal companies and the people who live down valley form the mining operations?
Oh my. I forgot to thank you for a year of talking about this important issue. Happy Birthday Coal Tatoo!
Although it has been disappointing to see you cut off debate on some of your posts, it has been a pleasure to read what you have allowed to be posted here.
Ken, good job, you don’t always write things that I agree with but you have provided a forum for everyone on both sides.
I want to reply to ,rhmoony3, have you ever worked underground in a coal mine? What do you know about mine safety? I’ve worked almost forty years as a underground coalminer. There is such a thing as coalmine safety myself and the men I’ve worked with have proven that. I hope to work another seven to ten years and I am sure that I can by the grace of God and coalmine safety.
Ken – thanks for always being on the job, speaking truth to power.
Allow me to add my belated birthday wishes.
Ken, I’ve found coal tattoo to be an excellent source for reasonable dialogue on important coal-related issues. Your encyclopedic ability to cross reference pertinent information combined with your firm but not too firm moderation have inspired me not only to participate here but also to point many others this direction.
Bo, while I too appreciate when others use their real names, I’m also grateful for the input of those who would not be able to speak as freely if forced to divulge their identity. Were I still working for DEP I would either have severely moderated my input here or used a pseudonym, and I know there are others here who do not use their real names for similar reasons.
Happy Birthday Coal Tattoo! Ken you do a very valuable service to us and you are an very valuable asset to the Gazette. We may not always agree with everyone, but if we are civil with one another I really believe that we can make progress.
Thanks for your patience with me and your emails explaining where I goofed up. Most times I just read because I can’t compete with so much knowledge from so many great folks who do post here. So CONGRATS to you and the CT! May this blog run for many more years!