Authoritative voices can halt spread of rumors

• Source: Global Times
• [08:13 March 18 2011]
• Comments

Illustration: Liu Rui

By Wang Ya'nan

Stricken Fukushima nuclear reactors in Japan remain on the brink of meltdown, and radiation is leaking from the plant.

But rumors and panic move even faster than radiation.

Rumors about nuclear radiation and a shortage of necessities after the earthquake are being circulated through text messages and the Internet in China and other Asian countries. This has caused a minor social panic. Some claim that it just needs two days for the radioactive fallout to spread to East China's Shandong Province.

Others suggest wearing masks and long clothes when going out during the critical several months. On Wednesday, because of the spreading rumors that polluted seawater would lead to salt shortages, a rush for salt appeared in many Chinese cities.

The media has been both a source of good information and a potential vector for panic. Live 24-hour news channels bring scenes of the disaster straight into people's homes, and leaves them more afraid. Journalists who lack scientific knowledge and emotional news anchors often fail to accurately describe the true extent of the disaster. And instant news sources such as microblogs can accidentally help spread rumors and incorrect information.

At a time when the public is both skeptical and scared, statements from authoritative scientists are undoubtedly precious. A calm outline of the scientific reality can calm people down and stop the spread of rumors that run the risk of causing serious social panics.

The Chinese Internet has been particularly abuzz with rumors about the supposed Mayan predicted apocalypse of 2012. Last month, British physicist Jocelyn Bell Burnell gave a speech refuting such doomsday theories at the British Royal Society. When talking about the scene of the major planets' aligning that appears in the movie 2012, she said that the next time when many planets align is in 2040, and that this astronomical phenomenon happens fairly regularly without incident.

Many Chinese media outlets invited some experts to make comments after the Japan earthquake. But sometimes these experts are just current affair commentators, so their words lack sufficient authority. Or they are experts in a broad field, so lack the specialized knowledge needed to provide intelligent commentary.