Post-Fukushima discourse in the US press

Quantified knowledge, the technical object, and a panicked public

Bibliographic Data

ID20403104
AuthorsJonathan Tollefson (0000-0002-1392-5841, Brown University, corresponding author)
Year2020
Volume29
Issue7
Pages670-687
Publication date2020-10-01
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenuePublic Understanding of Science (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0963-6625 • E-ISSN: 1361-6609
PublisherSAGE Publications (PUBLISHER • US)
DOI10.1177/0963662520936186
PMID32597368
OpenAlexW3037589750
LanguageEN
Citations received3
References cited29

Many thought that the 11 March 2011 Fukushima nuclear disaster in Japan might be the end of the “global nuclear renaissance.” In Europe, mass media after Fukushima increasingly presented negative framing of nuclear energy and highlighted declining support for the nuclear industry. In the United States, however, nuclear production and public support for the industry remained steady. This article analyzes US media documents to understand the construction of public discourse on nuclear power in the wake of the Fukushima disaster. Through a content analysis of US newspapers, it demonstrates that post-Fukushima media framed the crisis in a way that privileged expert knowledge and opinion, while delegitimizing non-expert engagement with nuclear energy issues. A comparison between national newspapers and newspapers located in two regions with controversial nuclear plants and active anti-nuclear citizens’ movements additionally demonstrates the power and reach of the identified framework across the spectrum of views on nuclear power

Linguistics · Media studies · Pedagogy · Political science · Public awareness of science · Science communication · Sociology · Media Studies and Communication · Philosophy · Public Relations and Crisis Communication · Rhetoric and Communication Studies