Debunking Headlines: Japan Has Not Had A Nuclear Explosion Or Meltdown
On Friday March 11, 2001, Japan suffered the largest earthquake in its recorded history (9.0) followed within an hour by a raging tsunami. Several nuclear power facilities have suffered damages, but as of 23.30 pm PDT Sunday March 13 there has been no nuclear explosion and no nuclear meltdown.
- I wrote an article that detailed what was known about each of the four facilities with reported problems.
Getting Past The Headlines: What’s Happening In Japan’s Nuclear Power Plants? | The Moderate VoiceThe situation in Japan is serious. But, as of 1.30 pm PDT, there has been no nuclear explosion even though you may have seen headlines or tweets to that- When I was researching it, I was reminded that facts seldom get in the way of headline writing. Or tweets. This storify collection -- a work in progress -- highlights hyperbole; some examples are from "normal" people (not news organizations or journos).
- Headlines, ledes and tweets from Sunday 13 March:
- Umm. No. There has been no release of radioactivity that comes close to Hiroshima.
- My criticism is the focus on the situation at the nuclear plants when the most grave danger to the country comes from the devastation from the tsunami and earthquake.
- Headlines and Tweets from Saturday 12 March:
Japan’s Earthquake Causes Massive Radiation (3/12/11) | Orissa TodayAn explosion has been reported at a nuclear plant in northeastern Japan's Fukushima prefecture, Japanese public broadcaster NHK said Saturday, citing the- What can I say but, umm, No.
Japan Nuclear Plant Explosion Raises Fears Of Meltdown; Earthquake Death Toll RisesIWAKI, Japan - Cooling systems failed at another nuclear reactor on Japan's devastated coast Sunday, hours after an explosion at a nearby unit made leaking radiation, or even outright meltdown, the central threat to the country following a catastrophic earthquake and tsunami. (SCROLL DOWN FOR LIVE BLOG)- Dear AP&HuffPo:Not only does the headline mislead (it implies that there was a nuclear explosion), the story inaccurately calls out this event as "the central threat" facing the country. Central threat? No way, Jose.Notice that there is no source for this claim. We are to trust the reporters. Or the rewrite editor.
- The HuffPo story led to tweets like this one from Alyssa Milano (1.4 million followers), which was still being retweeted 20 hours later.
