Media Meltdown
2011-03-17 - by
Watching television coverage of the nuclear-plant crisis in Japan is a classic case of TMI. Not Three Mile Island: Too Much Information.
Too much confusing, alarmist, over-heated and incomprehensible information, to be precise.
The coverage also reflects the trend toward anchors and correspondents being drama kings and queens rather than Walter Cronkite. The New York Times captured that here.
Sometimes commentary veers from scary to ludicrous. One network keeps interviewing Mr. Sulu from the Star Trek TV show. Where’s Mr. Spock?
Few of us understand terms like “meltdown,” “spent fuel rods,” “containment buildings,” etc., etc. And sifting out real understanding from the tsunami of talk is virtually impossible.
Rachel Maddow of MSNBC did a creditable job last night of explaining the situation in a sober and understandable way – and how it differs from both Three Mile Island and Chernobyl. Watch it here.
Media Meltdown
2011-03-17/
Watching television coverage of the nuclear-plant crisis in Japan is a classic case of TMI. Not Three Mile Island: Too Much Information.
Too much confusing, alarmist, over-heated and incomprehensible information, to be precise.
The coverage also reflects the trend toward anchors and correspondents being drama kings and queens rather than Walter Cronkite. The New York Times captured that here.
Sometimes commentary veers from scary to ludicrous. One network keeps interviewing Mr. Sulu from the Star Trek TV show. Where’s Mr. Spock?
Few of us understand terms like “meltdown,” “spent fuel rods,” “containment buildings,” etc., etc. And sifting out real understanding from the tsunami of talk is virtually impossible.
Rachel Maddow of MSNBC did a creditable job last night of explaining the situation in a sober and understandable way – and how it differs from both Three Mile Island and Chernobyl. Watch it here.