first thing to remember, all citizens at all times, is that journalism is no longer an information tool, as it was in its infancy, but essentially a means of propaganda and collective creation of opinion: television news in particular, will have space for everything that promises to show, to attract the attention of viewers, without the selection criteria of the scoop I check the relative importance to other news. Libya was at the beginning of March the most innovative and interesting international news was the culmination of the whole series of revolts that promised sweeping the Maghreb satraps. For days, 60% of television news time was occupied by the rebel advance, the imminent fall of Tripoli and Gaddafi, or the thousands of refugees fleeing the country. Then, on 11 March, a massive earthquake shakes Japan, across the world, and the numbers of dead and missing and, above all, an abundance of spectacular images of post tsunami in a country plagued with camera phones, overshadows the Gaddafi and the Libyan desert for days, with boats stranded on top of a roof or floating on the water buses as nut shells. And then, another story, even more spectacular although not as important, the destruction of Fukushima and the nuclear threat in the vicinity (establishing a safety perimeter of 20 km), breaks in the opening minutes of the news and overlaps the tsunami itself that caused it.
And there's the two stories, both centered in Japan, but very different consequences: firstly, one of the most intense earthquake ever recorded, followed by a tsunami that literally water and debris buried under tens of thousands of coastal residents. On the other hand, a nuclear power plant, among the dozens that have Japan, which starts cooling problems because of the devastation caused by the earthquake and whose perimeter radiation level increases to levels not considered harmful to health beyond the 30 km and, to date, has not caused a single death. What news from these two, do you think will come out on the front page of the newspapers the next morning?, What will occupy the first ten minutes of evening news?, Is the massive destruction caused by an earthquake in which is the third global economic power that has taken 15,000 lives hit the sea still returns to the rhythm of the waves, their costs, or does the threat of a nuclear disaster, even if-now-unlikely consummated, would cause dozens of deaths and hundreds of people affected? To respond not even think to consider what news really seems more relevant. Think of change as a publicist, or as a Hollywood director. Just think what will be left with a picture on the cover of your newspaper or newscast opening at 9, does a disaster occurring without another culprit that nature, or a threat, even unlikely, raising fears futurible catastrophe with a mushroom and an obvious culprit: the nuclear energy? If you are not clear, is that there have been many television news lately. And now take advantage of all this media hype, all this meaningless information that confuses people, and let's the public the million dollar question: "Nuclear energy, yes or no?", Or a question even more foolish and inappropriate "Is dangerous nuclear energy? ".
The height of this nonsense from the media, their collaboration ridiculous myth and misinformation, and its commitment to the spectacle, as highlighted recently presenter and editor of the news of TVE, Pepa Well, when a few days after news of Fukushima jump to the news media world, I asked the director of the Nuclear Safety Council (CSN), Isabel Mellado, in the peak hearing the evening news, "Mrs. Mellado, Fukushima nuclear power plant is virtually identical to the central Garoña in Spain, do you think that could happen Garoña something like what has happened in Japan? "Fortunately for the future of his career, the director CSN held the laughter that bubbled inside and he answered very kindly, indeed, the central and Santa Fukushima Maria de Garona share design but do not share the earthquake and subsequent tsunami, which is "unlikely" that something similar happens in Garoña soon, even that seems central to Fukushima.
So while I was watching the news, blushed with shame to live in a world so volatile, speculative and misinformed, Colonel Gaddafi gave thanks to Allah by earthquake and nuclear panic broke out in Japan and that he had taken, just in time, the international front. As the Western news were more aware of Japan than any other issue, captivating voters in Western democracies with nuclear apocalyptic fantasies, the leaders of these great democracies like Germany, England and France were wasting their time talking about the freeze nuclear plans, the decommissioning of the nuclear safety review ... and trying to change more slowly, with less urgency, the issue of Libya and an expected international resolve to create a no-fly zone. Thus, Gaddafi, in the course of this week's nuclear panic in the antipodes, sent his troops east to Benghazi, to make use of a force that lights and stenographers of the international community was not allowed to carry only a week earlier. "With a little of luck these days must have thought the colonel, lounging in your Khaimah - the whole country, and especially pretroleo East, will be under my control before they lose power Fukushima and becomes boring for the fickle citizens West. " And he's right, do not you think? That's happening now: as the days pass, the real significance of this latest nuclear incident finds its place, it is left to compare to Chernobyl (an absurd comparison to minimally who knows what happened in that Soviet nuclear plant) and is simply a trace, a new scourge, a scarlet letter that will weigh on energy nuclear and future discussions we do about it. Because you never open this debate while nuclear energy provides electricity and wellness to millions of people without polluting the environment, only lights up when an accident or a possible accident cast their long shadow over the population. I wonder why do not we all fly when a plane crashes, will we understand that the benefits outweigh the risks, or just have convinced us that we?.
And yesterday the Security Council of the UN vote, a month late, but he did, and today, again, while we're getting tired of hearing about a nuclear disaster in Japan that is not consumed, it is more spectacular open the news with U.S. aircraft carrier off the coast of Libya, crossing the Mediterranean European fighters loaded with warheads of democracy, any of which will cause more deaths coming days which will never be any escape of any nuclear plant in the world .
not know how you see you but I always escapes me a wry smile when, about once a month, television news show a list or a pie chart with the major concerns of the English in order of importance. Sometimes the first place is ETA, other Islamic terrorist strike or drivers, sometimes unemployment, or the economy but always, always, the list is a reflection of the news that the newscast itself has published during the previous month. What poll so absurd, right?!: The major concerns of the English are, of course, who lead the evening news and newspapers in this country. They, the media "news" create our concerns, tell us what is happening in the world but above all, tell us what is worrying and not.
Yes, "I think actually Colonel Gaddafi's right, human beings, at least from my own time and generation, we are fickle, capricious, inconstant. We have a lot of information is to be well informed; see and read but not participate, just observe. Survive daily in concrete jungles and instead belittle our own power, the power to analyze, compare and reason, the power to vote, to elect our leaders, to withdraw their confidence when we fail or try to manipulate us. We have all so many things to think about every day, and so little time to do it: our family, our work, our desires, our mortgage ... but we must be aware that we are part of something bigger: each of us holds a small but solid in the whole of humanity, like grains of sand make a beach, and if you like the waves of the sea not push and fight, if we believe and we believe the above, all our little world of everyday concerns, they will have more weight or more important than the ridiculous time holding our lives in the history of this planet.
From Japan: http://www.nipobloc.com/2011/03/carta-abierta-los-medios-espanoles.html
Other views: http://www.desdeelexilio .com/2011/03/18/sayonara /
Other articles: http://www.rtve.es/noticias/20110318/chernobil-fukushima-comparaciones-odiosas/417804.shtml
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