Numbers versus Pictures: Did Network Television Sensationalize Chernobyl Coverage?

The amount of United States network coverage of the 1986 nuclear mishap of the Soviet Union suggests some sensationalism in coverage, with much use of such words as “radiation” and “meltdown.” Yet pictures and still graphics were mostly innocuous and “radiation” was seldom used in fear-inducing linkages. Alarming statements — while there — were in the minority.