By Ed Randazzo
There is something basically wrong about exploiting a human tragedy on such an enormous scale to promote a political agenda. The human tragedy and the need for assistance and prayers are supplanted by the visuals of nuclear power plants and endless prognostications of dire consequences on NBC Nightly News. The disproportionate coverage is wrong and insensitive in a profound way.
In Japan, where an earthquake and ensuing tsunami damaged, among much else, nuclear power plants, nuclear power overshadows the earthquake and the tsunami as the villain among Western journalists.
The New York Times coverage tells us less about the tragedy in Japan than it does about the New York Times. We glean from the reporting that journalists working for the newspaper of record are skeptical about the proposed expansion of nuclear power in the U.S. Less apparent to readers is what is happening a half-a-world away. In Rahm Emanuel fashion, the paper has not let a good crisis go to waste.
So, you fundamentalists want more newspaper attention on the suffering non-Christian population of Japan, so you can better assist them, so they can get their lives back on track and eventually be cast into your twisted notion of “hell” by your vengegful “god” when they die because they aren’t Christians? Boy are you guys mixed up.
Your inner compassionate goodness really shines through.
Great post, Ed. The title really says it all!! Thankfully, you provide a dose of reality that is sorely missing with the Drive-by media
When better to talk about an important energy security/environmental issue than when people’s attention is focused and when we see clear examples of the pros and cons of a specific energy source? You glom onto all the personality attacks here but completely ignore the practical policy and engineering issues. Rahm Emanuel has nothing to do with this. You could have written a much better, more informative, more persuasive post by saying that all they really needed to do to avoid this disaster was build a higher seawall and store some back-up generators and fuel supplies on a higher hill.
Well aren’t you just the Monday morning quarterback with all the answers to the questions you couldn’t figure out before the fact. You’re soooo special. I’m resenting the media types wringing their hands and musing on what could be, and how dangerous nuclear energy is, while burning fuel and using resources that could be better spent on rescue efforts and rebuilding the spirit and the dignity of those who have suffered terrible losses.