Those of us Internet old-timers have seen the Web evolve from a nascent researcher tool that had a crude hypertext element to it to the full-fledged force it is in the world of technology and media today. The common assumption today is that things can't happen in the world without the Internet revealing it.
To which I can now say: nonsense. While it may seem that the Twitters and Facebooks and Blogs of the world will reveal all that's happening and deliver world events to everyone as they are happening, this just isn't true, and I just lived through an episode that proves this. The full story is here. I strongly suggest that you read that first before continuing with this particular story. The short story is that as many as 3000 people were essentially held hostage in a supposedly civilized nation without the world really ever hearing about it as it happened. Just so that you don't panic, I'm safe and am finally home, after a long and unexpected delay.
Since I've had (slow) Internet access off and on as the story unfolded, I was obviously using my search and Internet savvy to try to find out useful information as it applied to my personal situation. I could find some local Chilean coverage, most notably from the local cable provider where I was, but little else. The story essentially started January 7th. It wasn't until January 15th that the BBC became the first major world news outlet to even break the tip of the iceberg on the story. At no time during the crisis did the US State Department have a travel warning in place for Chile, despite the fact that I personally interviewed the local Vice Consul for American Citizen Services from the Santiago embassy, Lee Calkins, and he confirmed on Saturday that he knew of at least 300 Americans that were impacted and whose right to travel freely had been restricted.
Further to that, there's the belief that the Internet always "gets it right." Not really true. I've now read pretty much everything I can find on this story on the net (and again, there's not a heck of a lot considering the impact it had on so many tourists), and I can find small (and sometimes large) inaccuracies in virtually every page I've seen. By inaccuracies, I mean report of fact that my personal experience or research can verify as incorrect. The best of the lot seem to be a small handful of travel bloggers. I've found a couple of blogs from people who, like me, were caught in the middle, and who seemed to report accurately what was happening to them.
I hope that in the nearly 15 years I've been active on the net and the four decades I've been involved in news, media, and reporting of all types, that I've built some credibility and trust amongst my readers and that you'll view what I wrote as a clear, researched, straightforward report of what happened. But given my recent experience, I'm even more skeptical of the "Internet Brain" that people thinks exists and which everyone thinks reveals all that's happening with the world with speed and accuracy.
Again, read my full article. It's an eye-opener, and if you're considering a trip to the Torres del Paine area in the near or far future, you need to read it. Now.