Nobel Prize

Analysis:

Besides only being 28 seconds long, this story basically just mentions that Mohammed ElBaradei and the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) won the Nobel Prize for their “work to prevent the spread of nuclear weapons.” The only other “information” provided in the story was that U2 band member Bono didn’t win for his work on poverty relief.

There are 2 major omissions from the channel 13 coverage. First, there are no international perspectives provided, even though the award itself is international. Agence France Presse reported that several environmental groups were not happy with the award going to the IAEA. Greenpeace international claims that the agency promotes nuclear power, which in many cases leads to the development of nuclear weaponry. Also reported in the French Press was that a Japanese nuclear bomb survivor nominated for the peace prize, “accused the Nobel jury of passing over his group so as not to offend the United States.” The other major omission was that the IAEA was one of the international bodies that told the US government that Iraq had no credible WMD program prior to its invasion of Iraq. It seems reasonable to think that this would be mentioned in the course of reporting on the Nobel Prize, since the impact of US policy towards Iraq have ongoing and international implications.

Story:

WZZM News reader – The United Nations weapons inspector says winning the Nobel Peace Prize is a humbling experience. The Nobel Committee named Mohammed ElBaradei and the International Atomic Energy Agency for that prize. They work to prevent the spread of nuclear weapons. ElBaradei says the Prize’s recognition of their efforts and their continuing responsibility. Now rocker Bono, of the band U2 lost out on the award. He was nominated for his work to decrease poverty in Third World countries.

Total Time: 28 seconds