Every once in a while, it’s worth taking note of the subtle — but important — consequences of shrinking news budgets and dwindling staffs. The key consequence, of course, is that things just don’t get covered.
Even in the good old days when an editor could blanket a place like Washington and its countless offices and agencies, there were still stories that slipped under the radar. Today, with a 24/7 news cycle and fewer people than before to cover it, it’s safe to say that most of what we used to call “news” goes unreported.
Here’s one example:
Last week, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, an agency with enormous authority and an extremely low profile, unanimously rejected a plan that would have allowed low-level radioactive waste to be dumped in local landfills or recycled into consumer products. The decision represented a major turnaround for the commission, which had seemed prepared to allow such disposal.
The effort to lift restrictions on certain types of nuclear waste — ranging from protective booties to irradiated construction materials — has bounced around the NRC for two decades, pushed by a utility industry eager to cut its waste disposal costs. Supporters of the plan argue that the amount of radioactivity in such waste is so low that it’s “below regulatory concern” — no different than household trash. Environmental and public-interest groups counter that the waste still poses a health risk and, if unregulated, could end up recycled into anything — baby strollers, frying pans, even kids’ braces.
Once before, in the early 1990s, when the NRC appeared poised to remove restrictions, media coverage was widespread, which prompted Congress to step in and order the NRC to back off.
When the issue popped back up on the NRC’s agenda a few months ago, environmental and health groups protested, but the subject garnered only a brief mention in a few trade publications. Last week’s vote by the five NRC commissioners against the rule change caught even opponents by surprise.
On Friday, the Associated Press’ F. Josef Hebert, who has covered the NRC for years, filed a story about the decision, apparently alerted by an announcement from environmentalists. As Hebert noted, the NRC’s action wasn’t final; the commissioners may take up the matter in the future. But, for now, the rules remain in place.
Multiply the NRC by the scores of government agencies — federal, state and local — making decisions every day that affect the public, and it’s easy to see just how much of government operates in the shadows.
Nuclear waste won’t be coming to a landfill, or a baby stroller, near you any time soon. That’s news you probably read here first. Think what else you’re missing.
–Susan Q. Stranahan
Susan Q. Stranahan wrote for CJR.