The Fukushima accident : content analysis of the media in three European countries

The nuclear accident in Japan is believed to affect the perceptions and the views of the public regarding the safety of nuclear power plants, not only in Japan but worldwide; the media play a major role in such conditions. The nuclear accident in Japan induced enormous media coverage. The content analysis of the media allows gaining a better insight into the way that a nuclear accident is reflected in nowadays society. It also provides useful lessons to be learned for risk communication in nuclear emergencies. In this work media reporting on the Fukushima accident was analysed in Belgium, Italy and Slovenia. The paper reports on quantitative aspects and the main issues addressed, as well as on qualitative aspects such as the connotation of the articles with respect to nuclear energy. Differences and similarities across the three countries as regards the media discourse and content are highlighted and analysed. Results show that the analysed media focused their attention on many topics, including the discussion on the future of nuclear power. At the same time, the articles related to the nuclear accident in Fukushima reported about a large spectrum of actors, from inhabitants to politicians and action groups.