There was a lot of chatter about editor Tina Brown and the “new” Newsweek, which debuted last week. None of it struck me as all that interesting–a column up front from Leslie Gelb warning about the threat of Arab democracy and an anti-Social Security harangue from Robert Samuelson made it feel very much like the “old” Newsweek.
One other piece stood out, and only more so this week–a warm profile of the executive in charge of France’s nuclear power company, Areva. The subhead was “France’s Most Powerful Businesswoman Believes Now Is the Time for the Next Atomic Boom.” And the piece led with this:
The Middle East is in turmoil, oil prices have skyrocketed, the cost of gas is through the roof. All of which is good news–if you’re Anne Lauvergeon.
While Newsweek notes that the “world may still need convincing” about nuclear power, the magazine doesn’t seem to be so conflicted:
To understand how nuclear energy has morphed in the public consciousness from apocalyptic villain to “clean, green” renewable energy, look no further than Lauvergeon.
Puff pieces about Areva aren’t anything new–60 Minutes had one in 2007 that we took apart here. It’s hard to beat this one for bad timing, though.
> It’s hard to beat this one for bad timing, though.
Maybe hard to beat, but Obama’s pre-BP oil spill endorsement of the safety of oceanic oil drilling surely is a strong second.
If I can play editor here, and wield my red pencil …
“To understand how nuclear energy has morphed in the public consciousness from apocalyptic villain to “clean, green” renewable energy, look no further than Lauvergeon.”
Scratch “Lauvergeon”, and add “a plethora of major media PR pieces”.
Which we’ll undoubtedly see shifted into overdrive over the next period, as the industry and gummint scramble to save “the nuclear renaissance”, don’t you think?
Yes, Doug Latimer. Already a couple of “leftist radical” types with “scientific” backgrounds have come to this space to bemoan the lack of scientific knowledge of folks who are troubled a bit by the events in Japan. I’m no scientist, and I’m a leftist, but by God I know enough about nuclear power (and the tremendous horror of the deadly waste it generates) to make something other than a snap judgement based upon (supposedly) irrational fear. You’re right–the industry, not one day after the first bad news out of Japan, declared that it would be Business As Usual here in the USA, where greed, stupidity, and failure of technology are unknown.
Now that they have gotten the NEWS out of Newsweek , they need to get the WEAK out too.
As a resident of Tokyo, and as a former nuclear physicist, I must say it is astonishing to see puffs for the nuclear power industry in what passes for a news medium. We already have the equivalent of three “Three-Mile Hills” and the real possibility of one or even two Chernobyl-style complete melt-downs. What more would it take to establish the danger of building more nuclear power stations?
Roger Williams …..Your background gives you a strong moment here.3 sentences is not cutting it. Please expound.
As for me did I here somebody say drill baby drill?Or do we cut nuclear and oil and go straight to peddling a Gilligan’s isle style bike for power?
It’s inexplicable to me, but my Duluth PBS station gives away Newsweek with a membership. I throw it away and need to let those folks know.
How can you be a “former nuclear physicist” has your mind been wiped? You may not do it anymore but your education would remain. So perhaps “non-practicing” might make more sense. Just a heads up because it sounded so odd to me.
Suffice it to say that it is bad there with the risk of becoming much worse in numbers of four to six should the other two reactor waste lose its cooling water and melt or be directly affected by which ever or all of them go off.
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