社説：新聞週間 震災と向き合い続ける

(Mainichi Japan) October 15, 2011
Editorial: Reflecting on the relation between the media and the March 11 disasters
社説：新聞週間　震災と向き合い続ける

Mainichi Shimbun photographer Koichiro Tezuka happened to be on a company helicopter near the coast of Miyagi Prefecture when the massive tsunami hit the area on March 11.
本社ヘリに乗っていた毎日新聞東京写真部の手塚耕一郎記者は、無我夢中でシャッターを切り続けたという。

He recalls losing himself in his work as, aboard a company helicopter, he snapped photographs of ravaging waters that overcame a windbreak forest and engulfed residents' houses one after another.
　土ぼこりを巻き上げながら宮城県沿岸部を襲い、防風林を越えて住宅をのみ込んでいく大津波。

His photos of the tsunami, dispatched to the world through the Kyodo News service, were run by 50 domestic newspapers and around 400 overseas ones, transmitting the impact of the disasters to the world.
　共同通信社を通じて配信された手塚記者の写真は、国内５０紙、海外約４００紙に掲載され、東日本大震災の衝撃を世界に伝えた。

Tezuka won a Japan Newspaper Publishers & Editors Association award for his exclusive photos.
このスクープ写真は今年度の新聞協会賞に選ばれた。

As an eyewitness, he shared the reality he saw in front of him, which is the basis of news reporting.
目撃者として、ありのままの現場を伝えることは、報道の原点と言っていいだろう。

The March 11 quake, unprecedented tsunami damage and crisis at the Fukushima No. 1 Nuclear Power Plant tested the raison d'etre of news organizations including newspapers.
　未曽有の津波被害と、福島第１原発事故を引き起こした３月１１日の大震災によって、新聞を含めた報道機関はその存在意義を問われた。

The Mainichi Shimbun also won a Japan Congress of Journalists prize for articles written by reporters who visited disaster-hit areas and interviewed people there to find out whether the disaster preparations and responses of those areas had been enough.
　総力を挙げて大震災の現場に足を運んだ検証報道で、毎日新聞は日本ジャーナリスト会議（ＪＣＪ）賞にも選出された。

Clarifying society's problems and showing lessons learned to the public is one important duty of the media.
関係者をつぶさに取材し、多角的な視点で問題点を洗い出し、教訓を提示するのも報道に課せられた重要な使命である。

We were happy that, when electricity was cut and electronic communication means were paralyzed immediately after the disasters, newspapers delivered to evacuation shelters were able to serve as vital sources of information. 　震災直後、電気の供給が止まり、通信機能がまひした。そのような中、避難所に届けられた新聞が被災者の重要な情報源として役に立ったのはうれしい。

We have great respect for local newspaper publishers that continued to turn out newspapers even after being hit themselves by the earthquake and tsunami.
被災しながら新聞発行を続けた地元紙の奮闘に頭が下がる。

The Sendai-based Kahoku Shimpo, the Iwate Nippo headquartered in Iwate Prefecture, and the Ibaraki Shimbun in Ibaraki Prefecture are all local newspaper publishers that lost their electricity.
河北新報や岩手日報、茨城新聞などは停電でコンピューターが作動しなくなり新聞製作に支障が出た。

Nevertheless, they continued to create and release their papers with the help of other paper publishers who, under mutual agreement to assist each other during disasters, handled page design and printing for them.
それぞれ災害協定を結ぶ他紙に紙面製作や印刷の代行をしてもらい、乗り切った。

Meanwhile, the Ishinomaki Hibi Shimbun, based in Ishinomaki, Miyagi Prefecture, even released handwritten newspapers for several days, posting them up at evacuation shelters, while its printing press was offline from lack of electricity.
　宮城県石巻市の地元紙「石巻日日新聞」にも驚かされた。停電で輪転機が動かない中、手書きの壁新聞を作って避難所などに張り出した。

Some of those hand-written papers are on display at Newseum, a news museum in Washington.
この壁新聞は米ワシントンのニュース博物館に展示され、

The Ishinomaki Hibi Shimbun won a special prize for the papers at the latest general assembly of the International Press Institute.
同紙は先月、国際新聞編集者協会年次総会で特別賞を受賞した。

That kind of journalistic spirit sets an example for us.
そのジャーナリズム魂を見習いたいと思う。

The March 11 disasters reminded us how important detailed information on people's needs and well-being is in times of disaster.
　大災害に際して、きめ細かい安否情報や生活情報が大切であることも改めて認識した。

Helpers need to know what supplies are in short supply and what kind of assistance survivors need.
被災地では何が不足し、どんな手助けが必要なのか。

The Mainichi Shimbun inserted a page in its morning editions called "Kibo Shimbun" (hope newspaper) that provides information on the disaster areas in an attempt to match help from the rest of Japan to disaster-area needs.
毎日新聞は、「希望新聞」を通じ、被災地と全国をつなぐマッチングを試みた。

Many traditional media organizations, such as newspaper companies and TV broadcasters, also notably tried to widely disseminate such information via the Internet, including Twitter.
新聞やテレビなど既存メディアが、ネットやツイッターを利用し、そうした情報をより広く伝えようとした姿勢も目立った。

Traditional media choosing to coexist with social media networks appears to be a trend of the times.
いわゆるソーシャルメディアとの共存は、時代の流れだろう。

Meanwhile, the crisis-hit nuclear power plant is still not under control.
　原発事故はいまだに収束しない。

With even experts divided over what damage could be caused by the leaking radiation, for example, media outlets have no choice but to rely on trial and error as they try to process the information and relay it in an easily understandable form.
放射線被害一つとっても専門家によって解釈が異なる。どうかみくだいて分かりやすく報道するか。試行錯誤しながら考え続けるしかない。

The slogan of the annual week-long Newspaper Week that began on Oct. 15 is "Ue o Muku Chikara o Kureta Kiji ga Aru" ("There is an article that gave me courage").
　「上を向く　力をくれた　記事がある」。
１５日から始まった新聞週間の代表標語だ。

We want to dispatch not only news about dangers and problems, but also encouraging news that can contribute to the rebuilding of disaster-hit areas and survivors' lives.
復興の力になる明るいニュースも発信を続けたい。

毎日新聞　2011年10月15日　東京朝刊