For 33 years, the mass media failed to take into account its role in reporting the Chernobyl tragedy. The world slowly discovers more and more issues about this disaster. Let us take a look at the media coverage. The media workers often face various challenges while doing their jobs in this contaminated area. Bloggers and journalists provided a unique focus this year as a review of the reports show below.
Since 1994, photographer David McMillan has made 21 trips into the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone — and under proper guidance and extreme care has documented the changing landscape as nature slowly reclaims what civilization is left in this nuclear wasteland.
His new book “Growth and Decay” is the result of these excursions and features some 200 of these haunting and beautiful pictures. McMillan shared with BuzzFeed News a gallery of images from the book and his words on what goes into making a picture in a nuclear fallout zone. After several years of photographing in Chernobyl, it became clear that there was this dichotomy occurring: Nature was proliferating while the built environment was deteriorating, and this became the scope of the book. Some of the photographs have an emotional resonance because of the health consequences the disaster had for so many people.
On first glance, it seems the wildlife in Chernobyl was thriving. But if you dig a little deeper, according to Canadian scientist Timothy Mousseau, what you see paints a more disturbing picture, says CBC Radio.
Alyona Sheyderova, a former Chernobyl plant worker, attending a vigil in Ukraine, said: “So many years have passed, but we still remember.” Student Anastasia Murdinskaya said: “The world forgets. From one side it’s good because it’s a tragedy and it shouldn’t leave scars on souls, on the other side it’s bad. Because people should know the history.” (Euronews). Anastasia seems to underestimate the role of this disaster in the world affairs and in Ukrainian politics.
Fighting corruption and making economic reforms remain crucial also inside the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone. Oleksіj Gamanjuk analyses some criminal cases.
Euronews’ Natalia Liubchenkova even reports how Chernobyl has become one of Ukraine’s most popular tourist destinations.
“Chernobyl” is the new HBO’s striking story that premiered on Friday, April 26 at the Tribeca Film Festival. HBO debuts the limited series on Monday, May 6 at 9 p.m. ET. Its official trailer is already available here. This film shows how plant workers and firefighters put their lives on the line to control a catastrophic April 1986 explosion.
The international media pay less attention to this anniversary. Media coverage has mostly disappeared. However, some post-Soviet states remember this anniversary in their official statements. Bishkek and Osh cities in the Kyrgyz Republic held events on April 26.