June 2011
What Was Reported by Television on March 11th and on the Following Day
Program Studies
This article overviews the record of what broadcasters tried to report after the massive earthquake hit East Japan from the evenings of March 11 through March 12 as the disaster continuously add various faces to become “complex emergencies.”
Following the May issue, the authors review what was broadcast during the time between two hours after the quake and the midnight of the following day.
NHK General TV and Tokyo-based commercial network televisions continued their earthquake/tsunami coverage until the midnight of March 12. In addition to the initial quake and tsunami, Japan saw an unprecedented “complex emergencies” consisting of various problems ranging from the severe accident at Fukushima nuclear plant, a large number of stranded commuters, to a separate earthquake in Shinshu (Nagano prefecture) in the midnight. It was impossible to grab the whole picture of the quake-caused disaster and related events by the end of the day, and broadcasters had to deliver information somewhat in a fumbling manner. Early next morning, using helicopters, each channel begun reporting the devastated coast line that mercilessly tells the massiveness of tsunami and delivered information and footage of afflicted areas including rescue efforts one right after the other. The number of missing and dead was reported to be 1,400 as of 24 hours after the quake outbreak. In the evening, broadcasters reported the Tokyo Electric Power Company’s announcement of possible “rolling blackouts,” which caused another concern. Thus, news reports became more and more diversified and extensive, adding a new type of concern each time.
The Fukushima Daiichi nuclear accident became a new focus of the news from the nignt of March 11. A lowered water level inside the No. 2 reactor and expansion of the evacuation zone were reported in the morning of March 12. Then, successful venting was reported after 3 PM, but this was soon followed by the news on an explosion at the No.1 reactor building. Lack of accurate information confused the news reports, and it took five hours before things calmed with the government official announce. The fact that reporters were not able to collect information at the actual accident site and therefore broadcasters had to depend solely on the announcement of the electric company or the government highlighted the challenges in reporting a nuclear disaster.