Citation

Gallego E, Cantone MC, Oughton DH, Perko T, Prezelj I, Tomkiv Y. Radiat. Prot. Dosimetry 2016; 173(1-3): 163-169.

Affiliation

Centre for Environmental Radioactivity (CERAD), Norwegian University of Life Sciences, Universitetstunet 3, 1433 Ås, Norway.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2016, Oxford University Press)

DOI

10.1093/rpd/ncw334

PMID

27895097

Abstract

This paper presents the results of a large study of 1340 articles published by two major newspapers in six European countries (Belgium, Italy, Norway, Slovenia, Spain and Russia) in the first 2 months after the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear disaster. The focus of the analysis is on the application and overall impact of protective actions, both during the emergency phase and later, how the newspapers describe those actions, which differences were apparent between countries and what recommendations can be extracted in order to improve general communication about these issues. A clear lesson is that, even under uncertainty and recognising limitations, responsible authorities need to provide transparent, clear and understandable information to the public and the mass media right from the beginning of the early phase of any nuclear emergency. Clear, concise messages should be given. Mass media could play a key role in reassuring the public if the countermeasures are clearly explained.

© The Author 2016. Published by Oxford University Press. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oup.com.

Language: en