While the Fukushima nuclear disaster has gotten plenty of attention on network programming, the debate has consistently overlooked the most fundamental question of whether nuclear power can be harnessed safely (FAIR Blog, 3/14/11). In asking why this question remains muted, a look at their boards of directors reveals that all three major broadcast networks share at least two members with companies that produce or transmit nuclear energy.
With nuclear powerhouse General Electric as co-owner of NBC, it’s not surprising that GE‘s CEO Jeffery Immelt and CFO Keith Sherin both sit as directors on the network’s board. But it’s not the only network whose board has nuclear energy connections: ABC‘s directors include a representative from Halliburton as well as from Edison Mission Energy. Not to be outdone, CBS, a former subsidiary of the energy giant Westinghouse, seats three board members from the nuclear energy industry’s Southern Company, NSTAR and Consolidated Edison.
Can nuclear power be harnessed safely? The livelihood of these network board members depends on answering the question in the affirmative.
When it comes to airing views damaging to the glow worms’ bottom line, you could call this a conflict of disinterest.
If media and nuclear energy shares board members, I wonder how many other industries share board members as well? If so, then they are the true government of our country.
Another note, board members do not necessarily have a big influence on a company’s operations, so I will recommend FAIR go a little further than pointing out shared board members to strongly prove that these two industries are inter-locked with each other.
Right now, we are between a rock and a hard placeâ┚¬” where the probable and possibly best choice for energy in the US is nuclear energy, despite the recent crisis in Japan. What can the United States learn from Japan’s disaster? How can we prevent such a tragedy here? It is a scary thoughtâ┚¬”ÂI hope that we can come through to handle itâ┚¬Ã‚¦ especially if we learn from Japanâ┚¬Ã‚¦
Check out â┚¬Ã…“Nuclear Energy: Lessons from Japanâ┚¬Ã‚Â: http://bit.ly/e02awE
The comments of Arnold and Carrie show how much our media has influenced otherwise rational people. As the news from Fukushima gets worse and worse as radiactive isotopes lasting hundreds of YEARS enter the atmosphere and seawater and the hovernment of Japan keeps downplaying the extent of the disaster. The only thing we can say is “we do it better than Japan”
as if our engineers are better and smarter than them. Japa was told the same thing about those Russian Engineers in Chernobyl and American Engineers in Three Mile Island. Get the picture yet.
Now they are willing to make the US into an uninhabitable space if and when the “unthinkable” happens.
We deserve what we get if that is our response.
I believe that GE and Westinghouse are getting a prematurey criticised for being associated with an industry that has brought us clean power without the loss of any lives from years of operation. The Japanese event did catch them (and admittedly us) by surprise, but you can be sure that future reactors will be earthquake and tsunnami safe if we allow corporate oversite by the scientific community.
The Fukushima reactors were designed by- and 4 out of 6 were built by- General Electric. Are we to understand that GE ‘s record of cleanliness and safety is unaltered by events?
Are the deaths and radiation in Japan not real to you, Carrie and Arnold? Did they happen on some other planet, to some hominid that you don’t recognize?
Joe Connell, Ha hahahahahahahahahah!!!!!!You must be kidding.
Amazing how our government has not started a tutorial through the power of the media to help we non nuclear scientists- to better understand where we stand in all this.What are the risks within the framework of our current technology and buildings we are currently using .What are our risks?
I heard early on that Japan should of entombed this sight(as the Russians did) with sand ..cement ect.Daily I search the papers to see an update.Nothing.We can not enter the debate until the secrecy veil is lifted.I was always led to believe that these plants could be quickly shut down.Obviously not.
I’m getting sick and tired of environmentalists attacking nuclear energy. Ever since the disasters in Chernobyl and Three-Mile Island, they have determined to prevent any further implementation of nuclear energy here in the United States. And now with the disaster in Fukushima, they will most certainly keep the public afraid of nuclear energy for years to come.
This is especially disturbing with our current energy crisis. As of now, we are completely dependent on oil, a resource which is quickly being depleted. If we are to wean ourselves from oil, we must begin drilling for our own. But we can’tâ┚¬”Ânot on our own soil, not offshore, and not in Alaska. We are left with no other choice but to get our oil from countries that hate us and wish to wipe us off the face of the earth.
If we can’t drill for our own oil, if we can’t use nuclear power, and if we can’t use clean coal (another resource environmentalists rally against), what is left? Wind and solar? That’s not enough to power an entire country, especially one as big and overpopulated as the United States.
In short: we’re doomed! (I would use another word, but that would be inappropriate, and possible censored or deleted.)
As far as scare tactics against nuclear energy goes, I suggest watching this video debunking them: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Usg7-xbQOcM
Blamethe 1rst
You must be new here.Most bloggers on these posts make Obama look like a right wing zealot.My advice……Learn to run,scream,and re-load(in a literacy sense of course).Their gonna be cumin fer ya boy.
ps What you wrote is off course correct.I would add the safety features must become transparent and more robust to instill trust again.Also remember the new discoveries of oil in the US alone could take care of all our needs for long beyond our lives or future generations.It is not a renewable resource but it is still plentiful.The problem is the present governments total disengagement from reality.Get ready to peddle your car like Fred flint stone.