Agence France LOUSY reporting: reports testing done 100 METERS from Daiichi as 100 KILOMETERS

[Hannah Bell]

Here's the NHK story:

Excessive levels of radioactive iodine and cesium have been found in seawater near the Fukushima Daiichi power plant. The Tokyo Electric Power Company, or TEPCO, collected seawater samples 100 meters south of the plant's water outlet on Monday afternoon.

The samples were found to contain radioactive iodine-131 in excess of the legal standard by 126.7 times, cesium-134 by 24.8 times, and cesium-137 by 16.5 times.

Such annual intake corresponds to one millisievert, or the maximum radiation exposure considered safe per year.

http://www3.nhk.or.jp/daily/english/22_19.html



And here's the Agence-France version:

Radioactive substances in seawater near Japan nuke plant

(AFP) – 28 minutes ago

OSAKA — Abnormally high levels of radioactive substances have been detected in seawater near a quake-crippled nuclear power plant in Japan, its operator said early Tuesday.

Tokyo Electric Power Co. (TEPCO) said the level of iodine-131 was 126.7 times higher and caesium-134 was 24.8 times higher than government-set standards.

The substances were detected in seawater which was sampled Monday about 100 kilometres (60 miles) south of the Fukushima No.1 plant, a TEPCO official said.

http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5hkvcJuytxEwNemFkk6Zxk-jdiGPw?docId=CNG.c1a375e7c725666e2ee5e250a84aa0a7.5d1


Gosh, which report is correct?

The translator on NHK world news also says 100 meters.

Here's the translated TEPCO document (thanks to "Agony" in LBN)

http://www.tepco.co.jp/en/press/corp-com/release/betu11_e/images/110322e1.pdf

predictably, here at DU the false report gets double-digit recs while this one will maybe get six.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=102&topic_id=4781311&mesg_id=4781311


That's .062 miles south v. 62 miles south.

[Wilms]

1. Well, now I can sleep better.

Your tireless effort to downplay this event is...um...noticed.

What's up with that?

-edited to add-




http://www.zamg.ac.at/aktuell/index.php?seite=1&artikel=ZAMG_2011-03-21GMT10:22

[Hannah Bell]

2. jesus christ. unbelievable. do you know the difference between a kilometer & a meter?

apparently factual reporting isn't a "democratic" value.

100 meters = 328 feet = .062 miles.

100 km = 62 miles.

but since everyone already "knows" what the situation is, who cares about a little error like that?

i also note that rather than acknowledge the error, your first impulse is to attack me personally.

speaks for itself.

your little radiation graphic is completely irrelevant to the op, btw.

[Wilms]

4. My thought, somewhat.

But I'm not supporting a lie, merely noting what I've noticed over the last week.

Put that all in context. Look at the data. Consider even TEPCO admitting this is bad and could get worse. It ain't hysteria.

-edited to add-

The artcle's error notwithstanding...

Radiation 1,600 times normal level 20 km from Fukushima plant: IAEA

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=115x281732

[Hannah Bell]

13. the fact that it's gotten worse is also completely irrelevant to the OP.

As no one has denied that & no one is attempting to deny that.

Nor did the OP say anything about hysteria.

But hysteria has certainly been in evidence at DU.

I'll put you down in the column of those who don't much care about accurate reporting.

And personally attacks people who draw attention to inaccuracies.

[Wilms]

15. My noting the tenor of your posts, downplaying the seriousness of this, is not a personal attck.

Inaccurate reporting is part and parcel of disasters of this magnitude. And that's even when you don't have a company like TEPCO, noted for their lies, involved.

Really not sure why you introduced the word hysteria, so I'll let that fly. Unless you're referring to West Coasters hoarding iodine, in which case I'd agree.

[Hannah Bell]

21. I have made no posts whatsoever "downplaying the seriousness".

[Wilms]

23. Sorry. Must have been some one else. n/t

[Hannah Bell]

25. Link one, wilms. since per you they are quite noticeable.

[Wilms]

27. I said, someone else. Other's opinion may vary, however.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=439&topic_id=713456&mesg_id=713470

[Dappleganger]

49. That is completely inaccurate.

If anything, the OP of this thread has consistently posted regular, factual reporting which have emphasized the gravity of the situation while bringing reality to those who prefer to run around in their chicken little costumes for attention.

[HEyHEY]

18. It's an error, not part of some media conspiracy.

[Hannah Bell]

22. where did i say anything about a "media conspiracy"?

i see LOUSY REPORTING in the op, not "media conspiracy".

but thanks for playing.

[HEyHEY]

29. "factual reporting isn't a democratic value"

You're implying they purposely lied or don't care that they got it wrong. Shit happens. That's all this is.

[Hannah Bell]

34. no, i'm implying that the person who responded to the op with an attack on

me instead of acknowledging the error demonstrated that to him, it was more important to attack me than acknowledge the error.

and you with your insinuation that the op is about "conspiracy" are doing the same.

[HEyHEY]

35. To be honest? The fact you're making a huge deal out of an error

Not a lie, or a spin, just an honest error made by an international news agency is a pretty sad. Why would you even post this?

[Hannah Bell]

40. Um, because the false report was posted in latest breaking news?

and got 22 recs?

it's not ok to "make a big deal" out of an error in reporting, but it *is* ok to make a big deal out of the mistaken report.

gotcha.

[Wilms]

41. Well if you mean this post...

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=102x4781946

The "lie" was just re-reported by the Japanese news service who's broadcast you pointed to.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=439x713556

:shrug:

[Hannah Bell]

42. um, no, it wasn't, wilms, because i listened to it. 16 km ain't 100 km.

The report linked in the op came out more than 12 hours ago.

The edano presser is new news.

[Wilms]

43. Now your accusing me of me of being untruthful.

I clicked the link you added on edit and they repeated that VERY information.

[Hannah Bell]

44. whatever you say.

[HEyHEY]

46. You "got" nothing

WHy not just post "NHK reports it's 100 meters, must be a mistake" instead of a venomous diatribe?

[LAGC]

3. What is there to downplay?

This whole thing has just been one big media circus over a non-event. Sensationalism in action.

So some measurable level of radiation escaped the plant. Big deal. The experts on the ground have got it under control, and the worst is over.

The end of the world never happened. The entirety of Japan isn't inhabitable.

Life goes on.

[Wilms]

6. "experts on the ground have got it under control, and the worst is over"

Where did you hear that? Not even TEPCO claims that.

[jtuck004]

9. I can't decide if you sound more like the prime minister or the tv reporter.

Not being snarky, it's just interesting.

They were both talking happy talk, gonna be ok, plus the disclaimers in case it is not. While brown smoke, most likely radioactive, was pouring out the top of #2. A little closer it, and the evacuated workers, could have been seen through a window between them while they talked. ;)

The workers being interviewed or having to go around these things, on the other hand, aren't nearly as happy.

[Dappleganger]

48. So insisting on FACTUAL NUMBERS is "downplaying"??

Get real!

[suffragette]

5. As Emily Litella would say: "That's very different."

But unlike the magnificent Gilda Radner, there's nothing funny about this kind of error.
They need to publicly correct that.

[Wilms]

7. Correction is certainly in order. Agreed. n/t

[LiberalAndProud]

8. 60 miles vs. .06 -- minor mistake. What's a couple of decimal points here or there?

Correction noted (and appreciated).

[Sirveri]

10. Nice catch, here's hoping it goes to the Greatest.

Then again, maybe it's only wrong when Fox "News" does it.

[Hannah Bell]

11. Apparently. Lying is only wrong in service of right-wing values.

"It's OK when we do it!"

[Wilms]

19. So now you are saying they INTENTIONALLY lied? n/t

[Hannah Bell]

24. An error that is never corrected becomes a lie.

And an error defended also becomes a lie.

Interpret that as you will.

[HEyHEY]

33. I'll interperet it as nonsense then.

[Wilms]

36. You mean you called them and they haven't corrected it?

[Name removed]

38. Deleted message

Sub-thread removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[TheMadMonk]

12. Meh. What're three orders of magnitude between friends?

5000 or 100,000 barrels per day who cares? 50,000 or 1/2 a million Iraqis.

For those levels to be correct at 100 km, there would be damn few issues remaining on site, since the reactors would be empty shells with their contents strewn across the seabed.

What is sad and truly truly frightening is the number of people even here (perhaps especially here) willing and eager to swallow obvious bullshit as gospel truth when it feeds their predjudices.

We here at DU like to think we have become experts at spotting the bullshit and propoganda, at digging out the true numbers from behind the "official" figures. And then when something like this comes along, 90% of us come down with Bizzaro World Syndrome.

[Chris_Texas]

14. Facts are irrelevant man!

[HEyHEY]

17. It's a mistake, they happen

[HEyHEY]

16. This shit happens.

[Hannah Bell]

20. and the responsible thing is to issue a correction. you're telling me the translators

can get the radiation readings right but not something as simple as meters v. kilometers?

the words are the same in japanese & french.

just a little different in pronunciation.

[HEyHEY]

26. They likely will issue a correction when they discover the mistake

And speaking as a reporter who's worked with translators, I can tell you shit like this happens alot.

[Hannah Bell]

30. the words in question are the same in both languages.

[HEyHEY]

32. So?

There's a million reasons why this could have happened. It happens.

[Hannah Bell]

28. The words "meter" & "kilometer" are the same in Japanese & french, btw.

just a slight difference in pronunciation.

[HEyHEY]

31. OH MY GOD SOME PEOPLE FUCKED UP!

Quick, call the national guard! Plus, this would have been written by AFP's english bureau.

[Hannah Bell]

37. The words are the same in english, too.

[HEyHEY]

39. Yes, but you got it wrong! You said French people wrote it and English people did!

Nanny nanny boob boo!

[highplainsdem]

45. Thanks! Since I'd posted the OP about the AFP story with that mistake, I just used the Alert link

on the OP to ask that a moderator in LBN add a note to the OP with the links to the NHK story and that PDF file from TEPCO giving the correct distance. (Only moderators can make such changes, since DUers have only a short time after posting to edit their own posts.)

If you see a factual error like this in a story posted in LBN again, I hope you'll alert the moderators about it rather than posting a separate topic in GD.

[Hannah Bell]

47. The point of the OP was to call out the shoddy reporting of AFP (& to

demonstrate that not every report coming out can be taken as gospel). I posted comments & a link to the NHK article in your thread. Which is still on page one of LBN with 20 recs while mine is on page 2 of GD with 12. Comments on mine consist of two posters attacking me & telling me the error is inconsequential.