This week on CounterSpin: the six coal miners buried in Crandall Canyon in Utah are presumed dead. With three additional miners killed in the rescue attempt, the question now is whether media will call the story a tragedy and move on, or track responsibility for the disaster, no matter how high it goes. We'll speak with Arianna Huffington of the blog the Huffington Post about media's record on the story so far.

Also on the show: a potential new payola scandal involving talk radio hosts receiving perks from General Motors, including free use of cars, in exchange for discussing GM during the editorial part of their programs. We'll be joined by old GM nemesis and former presidential candidate Ralph Nader who uncovered the story.

Links:

— It Shouldn't Have Taken the Deaths of Three Rescuers to Get the Media to Focus on Mine Safety, by Arianna Huffington (Huffington Post, 8/17/07)

— Payola to Rightwing Talk Shows?, by Ralph Nader (CounterPunch, 8/12/07)