Earthquaking

Good article there EG (reporter's name sounds familiar...)

I think the problem is, and this has long since been a problem, is most reporters have an English/geography/history/politics education background, rather than a science/mathematics one. So when tasked with covering scientific issues we are often out of our depth - I know I was with Fukushima Daiichi initially. I think a lot of the criticism we've copped has been unfair - for the most part we have sought expert opinions from professors in order to help describe what is going on, but terms like meltdown have a certain connotation which is not completely accurate in this case. The editor perhaps then sees the reporter has used the term "meltdown" and bang, you've got a big bold MELTDOWN IMMINENT on your newspaper's front page.

Of course the severity of the situation at the Fukushima Daiichi plant differs depending on who you ask - French experts seem to think it is almost as bad as Chernobyl, while the Japanese seem keen to downplay the crisis at times. That makes it all the more difficult for history and sociology majors such as myself to grasp the situation. Personally, I'm proud of my stories I've done on the crisis, but I've always erred on the side of caution.

Each day a reporter basically has to become something of an expert in a particular issue - this usually isn't so much of an problem - unless the issue is nuclear physics. Needless to say I know a hell of a lot more on how a nuclear power plant works now than I did in sixth form!

At the end of the day though, the media have to get it right, no matter how difficult the subject is to grasp.

Just my thoughts on what is a particularly interesting debate. My inbox certainly got a battering after that story - most of it either positive or constructive, which is brilliant.

Paul, I have to you guys for the job you're doing. I've been following the NZ Herald since that Friday and have been relaying information back to a friend in Sendai, who has constantly been thanking me for giving her info they sometimes don't even get for hours afterwards. I think the general reaction from the Japanese is that their govt is lying to them about the severity of the situation. I have also been linked to other important info in regards to lists of open petrol stations and shops from the Japan Disaster Updates page which has proven a very good thing. It's a bit of a shame the the television media (again) haven't followed suit and it seems they've dropped off the subject rather quickly from the news I've seen.

Two dreadful earthquakes, Ken Ring and now the Wiggles are coming to town. Junior822011-03-23 12:37:57

WAKE UP GEOFF!!!

  Think of the children Junior! They'll love it and it will probably be some welcome relief for the parents actually,a distraction from the doom and gloom all around.

You can't tell me that Dorothy the Fr!gg!ng Dinosaur is a welcome distraction.

& Wogs the Dag? Oh sorry...Wags the Dog? And Henry the Octopus (or is it Paul Henry the Octopus)?

Wongo2011-03-23 16:28:59

No.  That's Paul Henry the c**t.   Little know Wiggles character.

Christchurch earthquake news is been put to the bottom of nzherald.co.nz main page and Japan earthquake news has been removed altogether. So I assume this means these earthquakes and their affects have since stopped.

Or it ceased to be NEWs. Of course the on going effects are still there,but everybody knows about them. Same could go for any murder in NZ,the families are still affected by it, but they're not putting them on the front page every day.

Now we get to hear about CERA screwing up with decision-making in the news. Yay....

Get in!

As is the way in other news reports for everything, I hate how they always quote social networking for news. Check this sh*t out.

http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/christchurch-earthquake/4897158/Large-aftershock-hits-Christchurch

Campbell Live has an earthquake story every day.

Was it ever announced who the journalist was who got arrested for breaching the cordoned off area?

I don't know about there being any Kiwi journos getting arrested, but on the first night when we went down half a dozen Japanese journos were arrested. Which made life fun for us, because my colleague and I were put up in a motel within the cordon, so we got so much sh*t every time we left each day and returned. Almost got arrested by some NSW cops who had absolutely no idea. The army were brilliant though.

I'm not saying it should he main headline news in every paper everyday, but to about 500,000 people it's still right up there in terms of importance right now.

Footpaul, just curious, are these comments just taken from people on friends lists? Also I know Christchurch city has taken massive damage but they're not the only ones suffering, people in Selwyn and Waimakariri are still getting aftershocks and still waiting on EQC from Sept 4, forgive me if I've missed stories but are we being ignored for the bigger selling story? I'm not trying to use this forum as a sympathy grabber but I don't know anyone else who works for any media and feel the need to ask.
timmymadden2011-04-22 12:05:21

If you publish on twitter it is free for the media to quote. I'm sure it is the same everywhere else, when I hear of a large aftershock I search #eqnz to gauge how big it is. Bear that in mind - anything written online in an open forum can be quoted!
As far as news stories go, the focus has definitely been on Christchurch city since February 22. It's not a matter of the story being a bigger seller, it is just the city has suffer more damage and people have been more greatly impacted there than in the regions, to be honest. So naturally we have focused on Christchurch. But I agree it would be good to look into how things are in the neighbouring districts. Feel free to PM any concerns you want me to look into and I'll see what I can find out for you.

http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/christchurch-earthquake/4935001/Football-shirts-to-be-sold-for-quake-victims

Dunno if this has been posted anywhere, hope they raise a lot. The Rovers shirt is a bit too much for me tho sadly.

I was about to post this. I want the liverpool shirt.

Given the events in the North Island over the last week or so I respectfully withdraw my whinging. Bugger me what's next?

Plague of locusts.

mayflys George Costanza2011-05-04 11:20:58

Just started thinking about the Icelandic volcano eyab5usgxhllofhlzdgzoh9nggplelll that disrupted flights last year.

A couple of googles:

The volcano is still rumbling away and

The decision to ground flights was correct



And of course Bjork is still a few sausages short of a BBQ.

Well that was NOT a nice way to be woken at 3am. 5.3 just out of Rolleston.

I know I said I'd revoke my whinging but this is what I was talking about. Compared to this from Stuff. NZ Herald reporting on Christchurch receiving no damage while Stuff reports on the (albeit little) damage in the affected area.

I've just this minute looked at who wrote the NZ Herald piece. I'm not having a personal go at you Paul, just venting.timmymadden2011-05-10 08:32:00

That one at 3am was sickeining.

More volcanic japes in Iceland happening. Thankfully not as big as eyflahdg8t9gdno04389gkull in both eruption and name (a mere Grimsvotn).

So now it looks like Grimsvoetn is 100 times bigger than eyaflgfith4eth394yt9gkull.

f**k me that was huge.

Tell me about it. We don't get them very often in Rolleston now but boy when we get them...

Another one today. 5.5 and 11km deep. Poor old (soon to be new) Chch.

Felt that in Wgtn.

Office on Tory Rocking for a good minute.

Felt that in Tawa. Kia Kaha Christchurch.

wow never felt a thing here...

when is this going to end - back to square one - roads that had been fixed are now broken, same with the poo pipes.

Let me tell you this was up there with Sep 4 and Feb 22 and we haven't stopped shaking since 1pm this afternoon. Back to square one unfortunately.

I'm so f**king over this.

You poor bastards. Thoughts and prayers are with you.