In order to appease the fears of the public and maintain order, leaders of government institutions often restrict valuable and alarming information from broadcast or publication. This censorship keeps the masses unaware but cooperative, as the truth is picked through and decimated. Such leaders are often timid and tend to uphold the status quo. They will typically refrain from riling people up so as not to disturb the powers of special interest that could shutter their career and livelihood. While vital information is picked apart and wrought with censorship, people may suffer from the consequences of not knowing and not being able to take action. When the Fukushima nuclear crisis began in March 2011, much censorship was placed on scientists and researchers who set out to measure the radioactive fallout that was silently affecting the public. One scientist, Michio Aoyama, recorded initial findings that were too startling for the Japanese government. As a senior scientist working within the Japanese government’s Meteorological Research Institute, Aoyama reported dangerous levels of radioactive cesium-137 in the surface water of the Pacific Ocean. His reports estimated that levels of cesium-137 could be 10,000 times higher than nuclear contamination measurements from Chernobyl, the world’s worst nuclear accident. When Aoyama reported these alarming radiation levels in an article for a publication called Nature, he was met with criticism and publication restrictions. The director general of the institute called Aoyama and asked him to remove his name from the paper. Apparently, he did not want to startle the public with Aoyama’s findings. When Aoyma asked to have his name removed, the article was suddenly halted from publication.
Posted on: Sun, 23 Mar 2014 20:57:35 +0000
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