Redacted in Nebraska : the noises of conspiracy around nuclear power problems

Auteur(s) et Affiliation(s)

EYLES, J.

School of Geography and Earth Sciences, McMaster Univ., Hamilton, Canada

FRIED, J.

Social Sciences Research Laboratories, Univ. of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, Canada

EYLES, E.C.

Dept. of Geography, Univ. of Western Ontario, London, Canada

Description :
This paper investigates a ‘small story’, the problems around the Fort Calhoun nuclear power plant (Nebraska) in the wet summer of 2011 and presents the official and an alternative version of events. It identifies the search for moral certainty, as well as the importance of blame and conspiracy theories, from which emerges the ‘big story’. It documents not only the official story but also an opposing version based on a coherent worldview emphasising the problems of big government, liberal views and denial of American individual rights—all framed as a conspiracy covering-up a threatening, human-made technology failure. It suggests why this worldview occurs, stressing a widespread emphasis on American values and history, ‘failed journalism’, public uncertainty, the complexity of nuclear technology, and the specific uses of digital communication.

Type de document :
Article de périodique

Source :
GeoJournal, issn : 0343-2521, 2014, vol. 79, n°. 3, p. 329-342, nombre de pages : 14, Références bibliographiques : 79 ref.

Date :
2014

Editeur :
Pays édition : Allemagne, Heidelberg, Springer

Langue :
Anglais