ABC News Quote of the Day

This comes from a story from Friday's USA Today on the ABC News report on testing and research reactors:

Ohio State and Kansas State officials say they give tours because, as educational facilities, it's their job to spread the word about how nuclear energy is being used.

Saying the interns were able to get close to the facility is "like coming to my driveway and saying, 'Guess what? I just got into McDonald's!'" said Earle Holland, Ohio State senior director for research communications.

Folks, Earle Holland is one of the heroes of this story, in that he won't let ABC News get away with what they've done.

News flash: We won't either. Hat tip to the National Review Media Blog for the link.

Technorati tags: Nuclear Energy, Energy, Technology, Homeland Security, ABC News

Comments

Anonymous said…

From the link:

"Two of the students have subsequently gotten jobs at ABC News and Ross said he hoped the network would hire more."

Well of course ABC hired them. They have demonstrated that they have what it takes to be in the mainstream news media nowadays: they can lie, take quotes out of context, selectively embellish a story, abuse sources, make a non-story into a piece of overhyped trash, allow themselves to be duped, practice "gotcha!" journalism, and all the other tricks of the trade. In short, they know what it takes to work in network news these days. Naturally they're going to be offered jobs.

Journalism seems to be the one profession where being a dishonest person seems to be a prerequisite for a job. In other professions, perhaps those more ethical than journalism, being honest is considered a virtue. In the sensationalist news business, being honest is a ticket to nowhere.

October 17, 2005 at 2:50 PM

Brian Mays said…

Anonymous said... "Journalism seems to be the one profession where being a dishonest person seems to be a prerequisite for a job. In other professions, perhaps those more ethical than journalism, being honest is considered a virtue. In the sensationalist news business, being honest is a ticket to nowhere."

You're forgetting about politics, and journalists often cover politicians. I guess the dishonesty must rub off.

October 19, 2005 at 3:08 AM

Activists' Claims Distort Facts about Advanced Reactor Design

Below is from our rapid response team . Yesterday, regional anti-nuclear organizations asked federal nuclear energy regulators to launch an investigation into what it claims are “newly identified flaws” in Westinghouse’s advanced reactor design, the AP1000. During a teleconference releasing a report on the subject, participants urged the Nuclear Regulatory Commission to suspend license reviews of proposed AP1000 reactors. In its news release, even the groups making these allegations provide conflicting information on its findings. In one instance, the groups cite “dozens of corrosion holes” at reactor vessels and in another says that eight holes have been documented. In all cases, there is another containment mechanism that would provide a barrier to radiation release. Below, we examine why these claims are unwarranted and why the AP1000 design certification process should continue as designated by the NRC. Myth: In the AP1000 reactor design, the gap between the shield bu...

What Happens During a Refueling Outage?

You may have noticed over the past few weeks that a number of nuclear plants are shut down for refueling outages or are resuming operations after just returning from one. This type of routine outage usually occurs in the spring or fall when electricity demand is low so that nuclear reactors can replace about one-third of the spent fuel rods with new fuel and conduct other routine maintenance and repairs at the plant. To get a better sense of how refueling works at a nuclear energy facility, I spoke with Marcus Nichol, NEI’s senior project manager for used fuel storage and transportation, and asked him to explain the basics. Why does a nuclear plant need to replace one-third of its fuel? Nichol: The main purpose of a refueling outage is to replace older fuel that is depleted—meaning it can no longer efficiently produce energy from nuclear fission reactions—with new fuel. This “used fuel” has typically been used in the reactor for four-and-a-half to six years before it is pe...

How Much Land Does Nuclear, Wind and Solar Really Need?

Not too long ago, we reviewed a report that looked at nuclear energy (and other energy sources) as biodiversity agents. This had to do, in part, with the amount of land a facility needs to function. Nuclear energy and fossil fuel plants use relatively little, wind farms and solar arrays quite a lot of land . Based on an objective and transparent analysis of our sustainable energy choices, we have come to the evidence-based conclusion that nuclear energy is a good option for biodiversity conservation (and society in general) and that other alternatives to fossil fuels should be subjected to the same cost–benefit analyses (in terms of biodiversity and climate outcomes, as well as sociopolitical imperatives) before accepting or dismissing them. Writer Barry Brook, who collected 75 scientists to endorse his paper, is interested in land use as it impacts flora and fauna. Biodiversity concerns do not get as much play as they might – and, when they do, it annoys many when land is withdraw...

NEI Nuclear Notes

Search This Blog