The news media's breathless coverage of the train derailment in Amagasaki that claimed 107 lives last month operated on several levels. On one level was an investigation into the details of the accident itself. On another was the coverage of victims and their families. And on a third was the gradual revelation of the corporate culture that eventually stood as the main cause of the tragedy.
The "human drama" of the second level, the victims' stories and their families' grief, has little lasting value. Whenever such tragedies occur, the media takes upon itself the role of national designated mourner, allowing victims to vent their anger and sorrow in public, though many don't want to. The same handful of friends and relatives tended to appear on all the network news shows.
However, the feelings unleashed by these reports fed directly into the third level of coverage, which had to do with JR West's responsibility, and were most apparent following TV Asahi's scoop that a group of conductors went bowling three hours after the accident occurred. The Asahi report was broadcast while JR West was conducting a press conference, and reporters alerted to the revelation immediately pounced on railroad officials.