This Rescue Brought to You by. . .

The last sentence from an article in yesterday Times about the recently rescued Chilean miners:

All the miners came out of the capsules in expensive dark glasses — donated by Oakley — to protect them from the sun, but the main health effect they all shared was very pale skin from being in the dark so long.

So those Ray-Ban bastards would just as soon let miners go blind!


We take notice--and, we suppose, issue--with how the reporter, Donald G. McNeil, Jr., went out of his way to mention the sunglass manufacturer. One the one hand, we assume McNeil has his facts right, and that Oakley did donate the sunglasses; the Times' motto is "All the news that's fit to print," and there's nothing "unfit" about this factoid. On the other hand, the factoid itself lacks a certain relevance.


McNeil (or his editor) might disagree. He might claim the fact deserves mention, if only because of the plethora of images showing dark-spectacled miners celebrating their rescue:

McNeil may have wanted to address questions he anticipated his readers asking: "What's with the shades? Those miners think they're soooo cool!" Fair enough. But why mention Oakley?

Was McNeil trying to give props to a company for its charitable gesture? Hoping to cadge a free pair of Oakleys for himself? Just being thorough?

To Mr. McNeil and/or his editors: Oakley will seize opportunities aplenty to publicize its humanitarianism. Leave the PR to the marketers.