Power Dynamics in the Age of Information

Introduction: In today’s modern society, the spread of information constitutes the greatest freedom that individuals possess. The nature of information is one of power. Those who acquire and retain information tend to be the individuals who are most powerful. The past 60 years in human history have been marked with various technological advances in the field of information distribution; all of which shifted the balance of power. This Age of Information has allowed for the rapid transmit of knowledge throughout the world, leveling the distribution of power across nations and societies. A popular example of the modern information distribution is through news stories. News articles deliver the latest and most interesting stories from around the

world allowing individuals to be informed and knowledgable. However, a problem arises when the accuracy of the news is faulty. The trustworthiness of news outlets has lately been called into question. Leftist, rightist, and centrist perspectives all view the same story through different political lenses, clouding their respective fields of view. This means that the same story can be told in three different manners. The clouding of perspectives reigns true in the manner of which the Chernobyl Nuclear Disaster was portrayed through various news outlets. Although leftist, rightist, and centrist news sources contained inaccuracies in their depictions of Chernobyl, the centrist news sources most accurately displayed the truth, due to their minimal commentary, exclusion of political ideology, and inclusion of experts in their stories.
Overview: In the early hours of April 26th, 1986 a cataclysmic explosion rocked the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant in Pripyat, Ukraine. The explosion released massive amounts of radioactive material into the air surrounding the plant. In the following days, the radiation spread as far as north as Sweden and as far west as France. The cause of the explosion was a nuclear meltdown brought on by a dangerous mix of deregulation, mechanical error, and human error. Workers at the plant deliberately disabled the nuclear reactor’s cooling systems in order to test its safeguards. However, due to operator error and mismanagement, the reactor overheated and went through a meltdown phase in which toxic particulates were released into the air. In the days following the explosion, the Soviet government attempted to cover up the disaster, but after Swedish scientists detected higher than normal radiation levels, the international community pressured the Soviet government to inform the world. As a direct result of the disaster, the United Nations counts 31 deaths linked directly to the explosion (United Nations 7). These numbers however, only measured the short term effects since the long term effects have yet to be uncovered.
Leftist Sources: In the United States, one of the major ways the Chernobyl story aired was through leftist news outlets.

These outlets politically aligned more with pro-environment and anti-corruption groups. In essence, the news sources conveyed the details of Chernobyl in a politically liberal manner. Prior to the disaster, politically charged rhetoric had been spewing from leftist sources such as the The New York Times. The anti-Soviet attitudes of the time were reflected in the rhetoric. Milt Freudenheim, an American reporter characterizes the Soviet government as being, “scorn[ful] of rock music and the rest of bourgeois art imported from the decadent West… [those] uncultured citizens” (1). These negative attitudes towards the Soviets were reflected in the presentation of Chernobyl to the American public. When official news broke of the Chernobyl disaster, leftist news outlets were quick to speculate. Although the official nature of the experiments conducted at the nuclear power plant had not yet been disclosed, New York Times reporter Serge Schememann speculates that the accident was “a serious one” and that “environmental damage [would] be disastrous” (2). Schememann’s article, “Soviet Announces Nuclear Accident at Electric Plant”, was released three days after the initial explosion; a time when Americans were first hearing of the disaster. The nature of Schememann’s reporting was biased in that he allowed his individual opinions to mix with the statement of facts.

When reporting of the environmental damage, he was quick to point out the gravity of the situation. However, it is important to note that Schememann was not an environmental expert at a time, nor did he state that he consulted with any experts in his research. In fact, Schememann did not even include expert testimony in the news story. Shortly after Schememann’s story aired, an article published by a group of environmentalists was released to the public. The article, titled “Chernobyl: An Early Report”, was a leftist news article which attempted to debunk the statements given by the Soviet government concerning Chernobyl. The environmentalists held taut anti-corruption views and opposed any action by the Soviet government. In detailing the nuances of Soviet communication, one of the reporters states that the problems with the Soviet government “[had] been the lack of consistent, timely, and meaningful information about the accident, the subsequent fallout, and the hazards to humans that arise from it” (Hohenemser 4). The reporters criticize the disaster by stating, “if only the reactor had been a Western reactor—then we would have known what to do” (Hohenemser 5). Schememann and leftist sources followed a similar pattern in their reporting of Chernobyl. They were quick to speculate of the damage done, they were accusatory of the Soviet government, and they often failed to include expert testimony. Their leftist lenses clouded how they disseminated the information. Instead of accurately reporting that there was a possibility of environmental damage, leftist news outlets often speculated and explicitly stated that the damage was extensive. This sort of news catered to pro-environmental groups and leftists in general. The impact on the population can be characterized as an overreaction to the exaggeration. Immediately after news of the disaster broke, and even before preliminary results were reported to the public, anti-Nuclear groups began to form and environmentalists banded together to protest the Soviet response to Chernobyl. The widespread outrage partially can be attributed to the quasi-reporting of the leftist news outlets.