CNN Fukushima misquote touches off firestorm of antinuclear hysteria

[wtmusic]

CNN goes right to the source for its intrepid reporting. Or if not, to someone else's reporting. Kind of. In this case, they took a Reuters writer's embellishment and turned it into an urgent message from a respected government official. The Reuters story:

NRA Chairman Shunichi Tanaka likened the stricken nuclear plant to a house of horrors at an amusement park. 'I don't know if describing it this way is appropriate, but it's like a haunted house and, as I've said, mishaps keep happening one after the other,' he told reporters. 'We have to look into how we can reduce the risks and how to prevent it from becoming a fatal or serious incident.

http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/08/21/us-japan-fukushima-severity-idUSBRE97K02B20130821

Tanaka said nothing about an amusement park or indicated any "horrors". In all likelihood, the official was describing the feeling of being in the presence of invisible, dangerous radiation - a sentiment echoed by Mark Lynas, when he visited the plant wearing protective gear in Pandora's Promise. Tanaka even questioned whether the comment was appropriate.

That didn't stop CNN from turning Reuter's salacious interpretation into a direct quote, which was mindlessly parroted by hundreds of websites - none of which noted the regulator's opinion that water leaks had yet to become a serious incident. Some textbook examples of how the antinuclear industry generates concern, hysteria, fear - and revenue:

Japan's nuclear regulator called Fukushima “a house of horrors”…
enenews.com/cnn-japans-nuclear-regulator-called-fukushima-a-house-of-h...

Fukushima plant 'house of horrors' - Video Dailymotion
www.dailymotion.com/.../x13ggvc_fukushima-plant-house-of-horrors_n...‎

Watch Fukushima plant 'house of horrors' via CNN International on ...
www.livestation.com/.../09611275f2d3ee5b906e7b7a72d595cf-fukushi...‎

Fukushima plant 'house of horrors' - One News Page [US] VIDEO
www.onenewspage.us › News Videos‎

Japan's nuclear regulator called Fukushima "a house of horrors"
inagist.com/all/370583716953088000/

Japan's nuclear regulator called Fukushima “a house of horrors”…
whatreallyhappened.com/.../cnn-japan’s-nuclear-regulator-called-fukushim...

CNN: Japanese nuclear regulators call the Fukushima plant a ...
sync.democraticunderground.com › ... › Video & Multimedia (Forum)

Fukushima plant 'house of horrors' | Breaking News From CNN ...
www.storeboard.com/.../videos/fukushima-plant-house-of-horrors/36109

American News: Fukushima plant 'house of horrors'
americannewstv.blogspot.com/2013/.../fukushima-plant-house-of-horrors.h...

Fukushima plant 'house of horrors' - One News Page VIDEO
www.onenewspage.com › News Videos‎

Japan's nuclear regulator called Fukushima “a house of horrors”…
https://www.theinnoplex.com/.../cnn-japans-nuclear-regulator-called-fukus...

Fukushima plant 'house of horrors' - Free Videos Online - Quixnet
portal.quixnet.net/video/play/825138/channels/cnn‎

Fukushima plant 'house of horrors' - Verizon
entertainment.verizon.com/video/play/812491/genres/news‎

Fukushima plant 'house of horrors' » AJCREV
ajcrev.com/fukushima-plant-house-of-horrors-2/‎

My World News | CNN | Fukushima plant 'house of horrors' | 08-22 ...
https://www.myworldnews.com/.../168437-fukushima-plant-house-of-ho...‎

Fukushima plant house of horrors (CNN) - USA News 2013-08-22 ...
www.nriapnews.com/usnewsvideo.php?...fukushima...house-of-horrors...‎

Top News Today | Fukushima plant 'house of horrors' | Home | cnn ...
home.topnewstoday.org › Home‎

Fukushima plant 'house of horrors' - CNN+ (NASDAQ:CNNRX ...
www.passfail.com/.../fukushima...house-of-horrors/fukushima-plant-hou...‎

Fukushima plant 'house of horrors' - AVA360
www.ava360.com/fukushima-plant-house-of-horrors-video_32e9070fe....‎

Fukushima plant 'house of horrors' - Free Videos Online - TruVista ...
fairfield.truvista.net/video/play/843554/genres/news‎

Fukushima plant 'house of horrors' - newsR VIDEO
newsr.in › News Videos‎

Fukushima plant 'house of horrors' - Global-Report.org TV
www.globalreport.org/tv?video=274358‎

Fukushima Facts :: Radiation News - Fukushima Facts :: Home
www.fukushimafacts.com/Default.aspx?PID=43‎
CNN: Japan's nuclear regulator called Fukushima “a house of horrors”… They are not prone to hyperbole, an unbelievable thing to say — “Very, very serious…

Why, that is an unbelievable thing to say.

[Gman]

1. This post diminishes the absolute catastrophe in Japan

That is out of control pouring untold millions of gallons of radioactive water into the Pacific at the peril of life on earth.

[wtmusic]

2. No, your post is more factless hysteria.

You disagree with Japan's nuclear regulator who believes the situation is not yet serious?

Are you a physicist/geophysicist/climatologist/radiologist, or just offering an uneducated opinion?

[Gman]

4. Puh-leeez.... Don't start

Your comment deserves no response. Your response means it's pretty clear the OP is just propaganda.

[wtmusic]

5. OP has links

Neither of your posts has any.

Don't start? Then back up your POV. What's pretty clear to you might be all in your head.

[kristopher]

3. Sort of like the nuclear club on DU?

Baggins fabricates a statistic that makes bad news look benign, "So if the statistics say that in a given population they should find 15-20 cases of thyroid cancer (absent any nuclear effect) and they find 18... they can't determine whether there are 15 that would have happened anyway and three caused by the accident... or 18 that would have happened anyway and none caused by the accident."
http://www.democraticunderground.com/112752282#post8

And another nuclear proponent starts using it as fact: "The fact that this result, which demonstrates that there's been no impact is being reacted to with alarm, says everything there is to say about how wrong-headed the world's discussion of energy is.
18 cases of thyroid cancer! Compared to a background rate of 15-20! Take that you nuclear apologist shills!"
http://www.democraticunderground.com/112752282#post10

And again, "errr.. you get that these stats reinforce our nasty, mean apologist point, right?"
http://www.democraticunderground.com/112752282#post11

Now, what is the real rate? According to the article it is "The incidence rate of thyroid cancer in children is said to be one in hundreds of thousands."
http://www.democraticunderground.com/112752282

Is that what you mean?



As to Tanaka's statement, I'd like to see the original Japanese text before characterizing it as a blatant misrepresentation - after all, it is a report out of Tokyo and one of the reporters is Japanese. While in Japan it would be unusual for a haunted house to be associated with an amusement park or a "house of horrors", I think it is safe to say that the context of the statement - the flood of bad news related to a cascade of large leaks of highly contaminated water - makes your interpretation** far more absurd than the amusement part reference could possibly be. The situation there seems to be spiraling out of control and they are rightfully worried about it. The fact that you are busy as a bee trying to minimize it speaks worlds about why people do not trust the nuclear industry.


**wtALEC wrote: "In all likelihood, the official was describing the feeling of being in the presence of invisible, dangerous radiation"

The