nuclear-news

Japan’s media “press club”- subservient to nuclear industry and government

troubling questions whether nuclear power is safe anywhere in this seismically-active archipelago. TEPCO, as on previous occasions, provided incomplete answers, perhaps reflecting valid uncertainties—but also suggesting it is not telling the whole story.

Japan’s nuclear crisis, The meltdown and the media The Economist, Jan 16th 2012,  by K.N.C. | TOKYO “…On January 16th, the Fukushima Nuclear Accident Independent Investigation Commission (NAIIC) held its first public hearing. Some 50 members of the public, and around 100 journalists, attended.
…..Japan’s media operate under a “press club” system that can lead to a form of self-censorship. News is doled out in unofficial interactions with the press. This serves many interests. For government and to a lesser extent business, it keeps the media on a tight leash and controls content. For individual journalists, it gives the veneer of exclusive information and inside access. For newspapers, it lessens the chance of being scooped by rivals, so everyone can work under less pressure.

Because no outlet can afford to get dropped from the press club, no
one dares rocks the boat. And though politicians complain about the
practice, it suits their interests. They pretend that the clubs are
not officially sanctioned, but rather run by the journalists
themselves. However that’s not strictly true. After all, ministries
including the prime minister’s office, provide the press clubs with
large workrooms inside their own buildings.

One of the problems of the press-club system is that it makes it
harder for the media to serve as a watchdog against the most powerful
institutions. The energy companies with nuclear plants were not
seriously scrutinised before the Fukushima crisis (nor afterwards, the
critics bellow). The lack of such scrutiny may have contributed to the
environment in which safety precautions were ignored.
During the commission’s meeting itself, the most difficult questions
concerned the possibility that there was earthquake damage to the
reactor before the tsunami hit. It raises troubling questions whether
nuclear power is safe anywhere in this seismically-active archipelago.
TEPCO, as on previous occasions, provided incomplete answers, perhaps
reflecting valid uncertainties—but also suggesting it is not telling
the whole story.
…..http://www.economist.com/blogs/banyan/2012/01/japans-nuclear-crisis

January 18, 2012 - Posted by Christina Macpherson | Japan, media