Re: what news is relevant

["Franz Schoenhofer" <franz.schoenhofer@CHELLO.AT>]

Private:

Franz Schoenhofer

Habicherg. 31/7

A-1160 Vienna, AUSTRIA

Phone: -43 699 11681319

e-mail: franz.schoenhofer@chello.at



Office:

MR Dr. Franz Schoenhofer

Federal Ministry for Agriculture, Forestry, Environment and Water Management

Dep. I/8U, Radiation Protection

Radetzkystr. 2

A-1031 Vienna, AUSTRIA

phone: +43-1-71100-4458

fax: +43-1-7122331

e-mail: franz.schoenhofer@bmu.gv.at







-----Ursprüngliche Nachricht-----

Von: Sandy Perle <sandyfl@EARTHLINK.NET>

An: radsafe@list.vanderbilt.edu <radsafe@list.vanderbilt.edu>

Datum: Montag, 17. Dezember 2001 01:27

Betreff: what news is relevant





> As far as newspaper

> articles, from the time I first joined radsafe, Sandy Perle has always

> posted a daily review of newspaper articles. Franz, I don't recall

> that you ever criticized him. Are newspaper articles OK, unless Norm

> posts them?



Norm is correct about my posting news, and Norm is also correct in stating

that he, and

anyone else, have the right to post any nuclear related news item that is

distributed to

the public. Several years ago I was asked in a private E-Mail, that I should

not post

unfavorable news items, items that were anti-nuclear. My response then, as

it is now, is

that we in the industry need to be cognizant of what is being written about

us, around us

and over us. It is only with this knowledge are we able to be better

prepared to address,

discuss and promote an adequate response. We are essentially in a war, and,

as in all

wars, information is necessary. We need to be aware of the positive, the

negative and

the multitude of dis-information that exists. To do otherwise is simply

relegating our

industry to be the primary proponent of the "Ostrich Society", where all of

its members

can be easily found with their heads in the sand, and their asses up in the

air. I don't

think this position is very flattering. Does anyone?

----------------------------------------------------------------------------

---



Sandy,



I respectfully disagree with many points you made. I have carefully reread

some of your recent postings. I am not sure, that your compilations

distributed on the "nuclear news list" are posted to the RADSAFE list, but

if they would not, I wonder what kind of "reviews of daily newspaper

articles" you post to RADSAFE according to Norman Cohen. Or am I excluded

from these reviews on RADSAFE by some filter? Your postings to the "nuclear

news list" do not cite newspaper articles, they are solely citations of news

distributed by press agencies. They give facts, not opinions of journalists

who have to make their money by commenting and distorting news or have to

accomodate the political line of the paper. You distribute facts and you

have distributed enough messages about accidents, financial crises etc.

Norman distributes opinions of those journalists who write what he likes to

hear - a great example is his last NY Times posting, where all the elements

of distribution of false or semi-true news and opinions are included.

Obscure groups are cited and they are given a facade of "science" on top of

their deep ignorance of what they are distributing and talking about. Even

the choice of the names of such groups is deliberately misleading - "nuclear

safety group", "Bridge the Gap", "Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists",

pretending a high scientific level and independence of leading scientists -

though they are scientific nuts and clearly directed towards achieving the

goals of anti-nuclear agitation with whatever means.



What Norman addressed when bringing your postings in is something totally

different from what you really do. Do you really like the idea that your

contributions to this professional list are considered equal to the endless

forwarding of silly antinuclear propaganda, hidden in newspaper articles,

based on the worst pseudo-science I know of?



I know antinuclear people, who have reasonable reservations about nuclear

power, who do not ride the "deadly-danger-horse" and do not tell everybody

that they will die very soon, if the NPPs will not be shut off. They do not

use the nuclear apocalypsis to frighten citizens and to get them to support

their political intentions and - very important for the militant

anti-nuclear "scientists" - to receive money for so called "research". I

know a few anti-nuclear web-sites, which provide excellent and correct

information about nuclear and radiation protection issues. It is sometimes a

pleasure to discuss with such people, because they understand usually a lot

of the interaction of economics, environment, safety and health and they do

not claim that they have the answer ready for all problems in this world.



Best regards,



Franz









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