nuclear-news

BBC Radio shuts up Fukushima Diary author

“The expert” kept on talking.  Said, “Fukushima is much much smaller than Chernobyl. You can’t compare.” then I heard the ending music. I was given 0 question to answer.

[Column] The reason why I published only one article today -Invited by BBC and given 0 sec to talk on the radio show http://fukushima-diary.com/2013/08/column-the-reason-why-i-published-only-one-article-today-invited-by-bbc-and-given-0-second-to-talk-on-the-radio-show/ Iori Mochizuki August 21st, 2013 In the quiet morning of 8/21/2013, I was communicating with my readers on Twitter.

Suddenly a lady talked to me if I can be on BBC at 19:30 in JST. After nearly 2 years blank, BBC and some other international media are coming back to cover Fukushima. Since this morning, BBC has been featuring the latest leakage of 300m3 water.

I talked to her on the phone and we arranged the schedule. She was supposed to call me in 2 hours from that time.

She was nice and professional. She asked me what I think about the leakage. I answered this is only the beginning.When she asked me if I trust what government says, I laughed and said obviously no. She asked me why.

I was “Because the government has been saying no meltdown, no meltout was going on. There is no short term health effect etc. Then last year, the chief cabinet secretary of  Japan said they didn’t announce Fukushima was having meltdown because he thought everyone was already aware of it.”.

She said, “Sure.”.

It was the radio show “World Have Your Say [URL]“.

We had 30 mins. Japanese commentators found each other on Twitter and we waited for them to call me.

I was supposed to talk on the phone.

I found the program relatively fair in the beginning except for the “coughing” on the background. (Is it normal to catch someone’s coughing on the radio show of BBC ?)    and they started leaning to the “safer” side as it went toward the end.

20 mins have passed but still I had no phone call. I wondered if they don’t have everyone talk on the show, but all the other people seem to have a talk. 5 mins before the end, finally I got the phone call. It was the lady.

I might have misheard but I think she asked me “Do you have any point of view to be asked?”. I didn’t really get what she meant. I said, “Cynical, just as always.”. She said, “Ok, I hope you to have a chance to talk”.

My phone was connected to the studio.

“The expert” kept on talking.

Said, “Fukushima is much much smaller than Chernobyl. You can’t compare.”

then I heard the ending music. I was given 0 question to answer.

I was passed to the lady, she was “I’m sorry, it’s finished. If you have the next chance..”.

This is why you read only one article today.

In the middle of the program, another commentator, who is a film director, was asked “From what source those mothers in Fukushima get informed ?”

Looking back the program, I think it was supposed to be the time to get me in the studio.

but I wasn’t connected.

It was quite an interesting and sad experience.

I dare not to say they didn’t want to get me to talk because I have the anti-nuclear point of view and they found me too radical.

If they didn’t want to have my talk on the show, they wouldn’t have invited me from the beginning.

If I was a producer and wanted my talk on the show, I would invite someone like me just before the program and let him show his opinion in the last minute hoping for no interrupt.

In the first phone call with the lady, she said they want to talk about the leakage in Fukushima.

I said, “Which leakage?” because there are at least 5 potential leakages suspected in Fukushima nuclear plant.

but then she stopped “… Which ??”

If other programs are made that way too, each program must make someone like me all the time.

This is what you hear and watch.

August 22, 2013 - Posted by Christina Macpherson | civil liberties, Japan, media, UK