Sunday, April 24, 2011

#Fukushima I Nuke Plant: NHK WORLD English Screws Up Big Time, Reporting "Radioactive Debris on the Nearby Mountainside"

Although it is possible that TEPCO is hiding that one, but as far as the official news goes which NHK reports dutifully, there is no 300-milli-sievert/hr debris on the mountainside but that's what NHK WORLD reported already, both in news video and on the article on their website.

As if a highly radioactive debris flew from the Reactor 3 and landed on the mountainside. I've found some English sites already quoting NHK as saying exactly that.

The original Japanese version of the news only talks about the debris located near the Reactor 3 reactor building, on the side that faces mountains - i.e. west. There's also an "ocean-side", the side that faces the ocean - i.e. east.

Oopsy.

I guess the NHK translator doesn't know the plant orientation yet, and neither do the editors. Thus, NHK World inadvertently joined foreign news organizations spreading "false and malicious rumors"..

From NHK World (4/24/2011) "TEPCO discloses radiation map":

... Radiation levels around the Number 3 reactor building, which was damaged by a powerful hydrogen explosion, are higher than in other locations, and 300 millisieverts per hour of radiation was detected in debris on a nearby mountainside.

In the accompanying video, the announcer reads exactly the same text with absolutely no hesitation or doubt.

And this is the original Japanese news, from NHK Japanese:

...激しい水素爆発があった3号機の原子炉建屋周辺は、ほかよりも全般に放射線量が高く、山側のがれきからは1時間当たり300ミリシーベルトの高い放射線量が検出されています。

(My translation) Radiation level is higher around the Reactor 3's reactor building that suffered a powerful hydrogen explosion. From debris found on the side of the Reactor 3 building facing the mountain, 300 milli-sievert/hour radiation was detected.

I have sent an email to NHK WORLD warning them of the translation mistake. Maybe I should call them and warn that they are spreading a "false rumor" to the entire English-speaking world...
 

1 comments:

Anonymous said...

NHK is an organization that has many right-winged nationalist working inside and the news reporting is behind tinted glasses to report about and for Japan around the world. It is an overpaid dinosaur and the reporters and producers believe they are rock stars on hard earned Japanese money from license fees. NHK is a laughing stock in the international news media arena, as they field 3-5 times more staffs than other international news agencies and report less than others. My mate in NZ who works in the media counted 30-40 NHK people covering the NZ earthquake. Poor Japanese people feeding useless people

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