That's what the article says... Looking forward to the discussion/education I'm about to get. Which is one of the many things I really enjoy about this forum.
Regardless of one’s opinion regarding media bias, perceived or otherwise, I believe that in general, the news media lack the knowledge about many of the subjects, which they cover, to the point that they are unable to ask pertinent questions. Furthermore, their topical ignorance, often prevents them from drawing logical inferences from questions which may be to the point. I believe that we all may have observed this, when the media report about subjects in which we have expertise. So in this case, the caption writer refers to a 40-car train as a 40-unit train. Note also the author opines about the nature of the accident based on the damaged suffered by the locomotive.
FWIW: "40 unit train"... During that era, that was often the way non RR-ing public referred to a train's car count. For example, in the Sears Christmas Catalogs of the time, train sets were described at "8 unit", "5 unit", etc, referring to the entire train and not just the engines in the consist. One merely need look at online Sears Christmas Catalogs to confirm this. Andre
Not that I want to derail this topic, but that has been my experience with the media, as well as meeting some reporters. I would say they are a mile wide and an inch deep. That said, Andre raises a good point, and it applies not just to that era, but to the current one, too.
Having spent 20+ years at a uranium processing facility that was eventually decommissioned and demolished, I am familiar with that experience and readily agree. It sold newspapers and advertising for both print and broadcast media.