Vanderbilt Television News Archive

(Studio: Katie Couric) President Obama’s remarks on the radiation danger from the damaged reactors at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant in Japan quoted. The latest developments in Japan after the earthquake and tsunami reviewed.

(Tokyo: Bill Whitaker) The crisis at the nuclear plant featured; scenes shown of helicopters dumping water on the reactors, police and fire vehicles; details given about containment vessel breaches, concern about the spent fuel rods and the challenge for the plant workers; diagram shown; Twitter comment quoted. [CBS nuclear safety consultant Cham DALLAS†- says the damage from the fires is very significant; comments on the danger from the plutonium-uranium mixture called MOX.] [White House press secretary Jay CARNEY – says Obama has faith the Japanese are aware of the severity of the crisis.]

(Studio: Katie Couric) Live interview held with Carnegie Endowment physicist James Acton† about the nuclear emergency. [From Washington, ACTON – explains the disagreement over the risk from the evaporating fuel pools; says the Japanese government is being forced to improvise; states it will be a pivotal moment when the power comes on.]

(White House: Chip Reid) Obama’s response to the disaster in Japan featured; scenes shown of him signing a condolence book at the Japanese embassy; details given about the effort to evacuate Americans, US involvement in the rescue and relief operations and concern about radiation. [OBAMA – speaks of standing by our friend and ally.]

(Studio: Katie Couric) Latest figures on the dead, missing and displaced cited.

(Tokyo: Lucy Craft) The psychological impact of the disaster featured; videos shown of the tsunami; details given about insecurity over the lack of information from the government, power outages and water shortages; scenes shown from Tokyo of people wearing face masks, empty store shelves, crowded airports and passport offices, devastated towns, damaged roads, search and rescue teams.