Disappeared News

by Larry Geller

Yup, nothing about the anniversary in today’s paper. This year, in particular, the dangers of atomic energy are front and center in Japan due to the ongoing Fukushima disaster.

A snip from today’s Democracy Now:

Japan Marks 67th Anniversary of Hiroshima Bombing
       
Japan is commemorating the 67th anniversary of the U.S. bombing of Hiroshima today amidst mounting protests over the country’s nuclear woes. The acute effects of the 1945 Hiroshima bombing eventually killed an estimated 166,000 people. Japan, meanwhile, has seen record numbers take to the streets in recent months to demand an end to nuclear power more than one year after the Fukushima nuclear disaster. At a ceremony marking the anniversary, Hiroshima Mayor Kazumi Matsui linked Fukushima to the Hiroshima bombing.

Kazumi Matsui: "With the cataclysmic disaster at the nuclear plant, it has become very difficult for humanity to forget. Even now, those trying to live with the aftermath of disaster, their experiences overlap with those who experienced that day 67 years ago."

Buried in yesterday’s paper was a tiny photo caption indicating that President Truman’s grandson visited Hiroshima to lay a wreath. The caption minimized the subsequent Nagasaki bombing by use of the passive voice—in other words, it just happened.

Update: It’s not really worth a separate article, but did you notice that there’s nothing on the S-A front page about the mass killing at the Sikh temple in Wisconsin yesterday? There is a story on p. A5. A quick check of front pages at the Newseum website shows that the story was front-page on most “real” newspapers (by that I mean to excuse those that run “Five days of fair fun kick off on Wednesday” as the top news for Monday).

Permalink posted by Larry @ 8/06/2012 07:45:00 AM