Journals Information
Sociology and Anthropology Vol. 3(9), pp. 434 - 439
DOI: 10.13189/sa.2015.030902
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Analysis of Comparative English Media Reports that Related to the Aftermath of the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant Disaster
Makoto Sakai *
Department of Media and Communications, Faculty of Information & Communications, Bunkyo University, Japan
ABSTRACT
I performed a comparative analysis of media reports that related to the aftermath of the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant disaster. I researched advanced countries' media reports on the nuclear power technology field, and especially those from the United States, the United Kingdom, Germany, and France and so on. I focused on researching these countries' news contexts and changes to their nuclear policies, and compared the public opinions on nuclear power policy reflected in each country's media. According to Ulrich Beck, in a society steeped in risks and uncertainty, the existing political system becomes the malfunction, and technology is tinged with political characteristics. Consequently, a new type of democracy that controls risks and uncertainty through academic means becomes needed. I used the framework of sociology and media studies, and my research purpose is to clarify the different contexts for nuclear power policy that Japanese media have not reported well in the above-mentioned countries, and contribute to the enhancement of self-information-governance educational materials about nuclear power technology. Currently, international media companies post news in the newspapers and on their websites in English. They post large amounts of content every day, and update it frequently. For this research, I gathered news texts on the aftermath of the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant disaster from newspapers and websites. For example reports of France and Germany were more realistic among other European countries. It can be said that the response towards nuclear safety of these two governments showed "Contrasted route" to which Japan should refer in the future. Then I categorized them into four groups, to analyze what the media in the above four counties have reported about Fukushima: 'same context' (typical context), 'a different context from other countries' media', 'a changing context from before', and 'proposals for the decommissioning and reconstruction process in Japan'. After all, this nuclear accident in Fukushima is unquestionably "a man-made disaster" occurred by having neglected the improvement of the problem that was bound by the one like "law of the nuclear power village" such as "the nuclear power plant is safe and information disclosure is unnecessary" and pointed out from the outside and the effort of information disclosure. In the near future, what is necessary for Japan is not only the technology around the nuclear reactor but also introduction of "the technology that the civilian observes nuclear power village" composed of the bureaucracy, the academy and the company that have to do with nuclear power generation.
KEYWORDS
Media Studies, Sociology, Social Thought, Crisis Management
Cite This Paper in IEEE or APA Citation Styles
(a). IEEE Format:
[1] Makoto Sakai , "Analysis of Comparative English Media Reports that Related to the Aftermath of the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant Disaster," Sociology and Anthropology, Vol. 3, No. 9, pp. 434 - 439, 2015. DOI: 10.13189/sa.2015.030902.
(b). APA Format:
Makoto Sakai (2015). Analysis of Comparative English Media Reports that Related to the Aftermath of the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant Disaster. Sociology and Anthropology, 3(9), 434 - 439. DOI: 10.13189/sa.2015.030902.