Over 30 Workers Trapped After Chilean Copper Mine Collapse

Consideration of the communication needs of the different individuals interested in the collapse of the San Jose mine would require tailoring detailed strategies for the various different groups based on their roles. These groups would include families, workers and the general public. This implies that the speaker would be an executive from Compañia Minera San Esteban Primera, the owner and operator of the San Jose mine (Reuters, 2010a, n.p.). The firm would want an executive to speak to all groups because considering the number of lives at risk and individuals affected connected to those trapped in the mine, communication from a representative with less standing would be seen as a minimization of the importance of this disaster. This is implied by the executive level of the national Chilean leadership participating in and commenting on rescue attempts, which include the President of Chile and the Minister of Mining (Reuters 2010a). Sending any speaker less than the rank of executive would imply the owner/operator took this less seriously than the national government itself.

Needs of the families receiving a message about this incident would include the detailed knowledge of the potential risk to the workers trapped below, clear steps the corporation is implementing with actual times and details, in order to convince them that no expense or opportunity is being spared to rescue their relations. At the onset of this disaster, knowledge of how many and exactly who were trapped would be critical. This knowledge would help the speaker establish credibility and free those concerned but not directly related to the workers, from the anxiety about their family members. Those who remained would at least know the truth from the source as information became available, and that availability would have to continue as long as rescue was prolonged, in order to reduce their alarm and thus establish a base of support and perception that they have access to the very highest...