Minerals play avital role in society

Neither mining executives nor media personnel are entirely happy with their relationship. Mining men feel that much of the coverage of their industry is unfair or inaccurate or both. They believe the public often is not given a chance to hear mining’s views. Representatives of the media think that most mining men are unresponsive to the public interest, overly secretive much of the time and often not entirely truthful in dealing with the press.

Inevitably the act of extracting and processing minerals has side effects on the environment. This so offends some people that they would like to prohibit mining activity entirely, evidently oblivious of the fact that mineral products are essential to “civilization.” It is not suggested that any responsible journal or television source has endorsed the view that mining activity should cease. But if one reads or listens to the media, clearly minerals evoke a less favorable response among journalists than, say, the cuddly koala bears that are pictured in travel advertisements for Australia. So, many of us do feel that mining starts out in the media game with two strikes called against it before it even has reached the batter’s box.

Shortcomings doubtless exist on both sides of the mining-media relationship. The real issue is how best to ensure that accurate, objective and responsible data about the minerals industry are made available to the public.

Within the mining community itself, such information is disseminated well by the technical press. But these publications are not read by the general public and hence do not educate the man in the street. Periodicals devoted to dissemination of financial and market information make a serious effort to be factual and comprehensive, but in recent years they have not always proven to be accurate sources. The problem appears to arise from frequent staff changes. This means that reporters new to the industry are assigned to complex subjects without having the in-depth knowledge or expertise required to prepare an accurate report. In one instance, a mine’s production of copper concentrates was reported as if it were production of copper metal. In another case, the grade of ore of a silver mine in Peru was reported as being percent of silver instead of ounces of silver per ton.

The public at large has little interest in mineral industry problems when those problems primarily concern the industry itself. Matters of the depletion allowance, access to public lands for mineral exploration or trade practices in international commerce that the industry judges to be unfair are of prime importance to the mining industry. But they appear remote to the general public. Only when the public becomes directly involved through scarcity of mineral supplies or through major economic impacts will the citizenry at large become interested.

The public has a limited attention span. At any given time only a small number of issues will engage the interest of the man in the street. In today’s complex society there are literally hundreds of pressing problems. That in this welter of controversial issues the public should not express an ardent desire to hear about mining is understandable, anxious though the industry may be to let the world know about its affairs.

When we are asked to appear before a general audience of people, it would be well for us as mining men to remember that our audiences are interested in their problems — not ours. Are they concerned about possible shortages of materials that will affect their life styles? Do they fear that the struggle for access to minerals may actually precipitate military actions — as for example the situation in Persian Gulf right now? Are minerals — particularly the precious metals — true hedges against the ravages of inflation, and if so, what are the ways in which to invest in them?

The basic role of minerals, in everyday life needs to be stressed. To us who know that the battery in our automobile is made of lead, that the airplane frame is aluminum or titanium, that zinc prevents the steel cables on suspension bridges from rusting, that potash and phosphates make farmers productive, that our windows are made from silica sand, and the many other everyday uses of minerals, the essential role of minerals is clear and unmistakable.

Most educated persons, if they stopped to think about it, would be able to identify these mineral uses. But they seldom stop to think about it. In talking to groups outside the minerals industry, mining industry spokesmen cannot stress too strongly the vital role minerals play in society. And in conveying this message, the emphasis must be on the public’s concerns and the public’s interests — rather than stressing mining’s problems.