ABC News Nightline: Chernobyl Accident - 04/28/86

An episode of ABC News Nightline with Ted Koppel on April 28, 1986, covering the Chernobyl nuclear accident in the Soviet Union. Discussions regarding its impact on the Soviet people and the future of nuclear energy. Interviewed in the program include Soviet experts Marshall Goldman and Dimitri Simes, along with scientist Dr. Marvin Dickerson and Nuclear Physicist Dr. James McKenzie.

[@miked9000]

when the american news gave us facts, not feelings.

[@fubar12345]

I like your rose coloured glasses, where can I get a pair?

[@adnand4167]

Because feels sell good but facts dont

[@havanascp9602]

Ain't feels. Now is all propaganda 😬😬. Basically Cra p

[@fullm3tal90]

Funny there are a lot of “facts” conservatives never bring up

[@happyhammer1]

@@fullm3tal90 both sides do this. A couple month ago on a panrl of jpurnalists Ted Koppel himself lambasted Brian Stetler about CNN chasing sensationalism over hard news

[@kongfeet81]

its amazing to think that journalism was once a real thing

[@marscarda]

They didn't have to deal with twitter then :)

[@Jeicto24]

Nick picking on technicalities much...

[@FortoFight]

@@fubar12345 "Seems virtually certain".

[@RoyWiggins]

@@fubar12345 meltdown isn't a technical term and can mean simply "a severe nuclear reactor accident that results in core damage from overheating." This is exactly what happened at Chernobyl and all evidence as of this broadcast pointed that way. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nuclear_meltdown

[@nananana8846]

@@fubar12345 Meltdown was the worst case scenario that could happen in western style nuclear plant designs, they didn't even consider an explosion.

[@smileplease_91]

I'm just flabbergasted at how amazing the news anchors are in conveying their message. No gimmicks, no drama- just straight facts. We need to get back to this type of journalism.

[@robertshiell887]

It still exists, but is drowned out by the sensationalism surrounding it. Most news programs (either right or left wing) has a plain news component, it just doesn’t generate the outrage-and by extension the ratings.

[@JayNo420]

Nobody would watch it now unfortunately

[@NotesNNotes]

No, they still lied 😂. They just did it with more convincing presentation.

[@gbodybala9295]

@@NotesNNotes please elaborate how these journalists in this program were lying or you're just talking out of your butt! because this is just straight facts which is rare today by modern "journalists". this would be a breath of fresh air if aired today lol

[@bramptongora2008]

Today's American would never stand for it. Americans don't want information, they want to be told how to think. That's why there's no impartial news, 1980s ABC News wouldn't last a year.

[@ervinghenderson4780]

When I was a kid, if you heard that Nightline theme it was WAY past your bedtime.

[@BeamerTheFox]

you aint kidding

[@ParzivalTheThird]

It is 4am right now 😂

[@fhowland]

Man, watching these old newscasts really brings to the fore how dumbed-down current day TV news has become.

[@mynameisawesomeman]

@@dorkmax7073 Oh bullshit. Both sides spew propaganda daily. You don't think MSNBC is biased? And even back then when Woodward and Bernstein worked for WaPo it was still politically biased. The media has always been and always will be biased.

[@Adamz678]

@@dorkmax7073 The roots of your beliefs are part of the problem.

[@linkplays95]

@Shufei doubt that by a lot.

[@jakubswatowski1007]

@Shufei well for u maybe it is more dangerous than Chernobyl cause you live in US on the other part of the world and the radiative cloud wasn't even close

[@robo1p]

@Horsemanray For someone who seems to care a lot about the fairness doctrine, you are really ignorant as to who it applied to. Unless you are in Minnesota (where MSNBC broadcasts terrestrially), the fairness doctrine never restrained MSNBC and similar *cable* shows.

[@SubZeDiZeD]

I lived in Ukraine when this happened, and can confirm that no one knew anything.... This news spread exclusively by word of mouth, and no one knew where the radioactive cloud was headed. Still remember my parents taping up the windows in our house just in case

[@OldAussieAds]

I found this a little funny briefly and then felt really sad. I'm sorry to hear your parents would have lived through that real fear.

[@SenorNavel]

When it blew up, people in Pripyat stood on a bridge to watch all the pretty colours. The radiation dust went straight over that bridge. Simply terrible.

[@todaysbestmix]

@@SenorNavel That's right, the bridge of death. It's all so sad. It scared me in 1986 as a child in the UK. I cannot begin to imagine what people near the plant were going through.

[@SenorNavel]

@@todaysbestmix I was born in 87 so I missed it all. But I did a lot of research of Chernobyl and Three Mile Island. I believe the people working at Chernobyl were thinking "awww shit".

[@NoName-ze4qn]

The govt didn't tell you about that?

[@lexavaritia7596]

I miss old reporting like this. Id actually sit down and watch news like this

[@matthewgabbard6415]

It’s still there at 6 and 11 o clock. Make the time

[@LoudestHoward]

You might, we might, but not enough people would.

[@Novastar6]

@@LoudestHoward Everyone loves that opinion based news now

[@qwerty6383]

we need more nuclear meltdowns

[@jimsilvey5432]

@@qwerty6383 Give it time.

[@RainbowManification]

I love this. No talking heads. Any speculation is rooted in the facts of the issue currently available and is kept to a minimum. Interviews are with subject matter experts. Information is presented in a clear, concise, and non-sensationalized manner. It's so refreshing compared to the 24 hour cycle we have today

[@nominalize8162]

This wasn't the regular news, this was Nightline, a late-night news-magazine whose mission was to go in-depth and avoid speculation and sensationalism. If you miss it, guess what: It's still on every weeknight on ABC, in the same time slot it always aired, so you can still enjoy that style of journalism.

[@bradjames891]

Yes. Conjecture is kept within its bounds.

[@RobertCraft-re5sf]

@ Are yoy kidding me?

[@anthonydixon4636]

Weekends new on anc and cbs is geared towards news like this. Not one act plays for ones disdain over the left and right.

[@Polit_Burro]

"subject matter experts" = Establishment spokes-persons.

[@oskardudley3408]

Sober, knowledgeable, competent, objective, articulate.

[@aliexpress96]

Well, not objective, but i get your point.

[@DiddyKongsTrashCollection2001]

@@aliexpress96 what exactly wasn't objective here?

[@Eaglefan4ever]

Isaac Zelinski Providing an understanding of a major nuclear accident by getting nuclear scientists answers to questions is not being objective in this situation.

[@DiddyKongsTrashCollection2001]

@@Eaglefan4ever That's exactly what objective journalism is actually. The news station is providing the facts about a situation.

[@kid5rowck]

@@Eaglefan4ever what is your definition of objective then

[@opticalecho119]

Those computer graphics illustrating how a meltdown happens have both aged poorly and incredibly well at the same time

[@harrysmith1700]

I love old school graphics. Their simplicity communicated their subject clearly and straightforward.

[@johanvangelderen289]

It was state of the art at the time. Not up to today's standards. Yet entirely sufficient to get the point across.

[@gamestycon2239]

k user and they fail in the important thing, to make you understand clearly whatever you are seeing it.

[@VexaS1n]

I have a curious affection for vintage graphics like that.

[@XxSTAR1977WARSxX]

One of the experts refers to it as a “cartoon” later in the broadcast

[@miguelrivera3383]

I really do miss real journalism. Ted Koppel /Nightline was one of my favorite news shows back then too

[@user-dz3sq9bf6s]

Well it’s was different but the internet wasn’t available to the public at this time so ppl ain’t taking sides or whatever

[@ovalwingnut]

Yes Mig*. Today it's just "Doom Scrolling" on the net...

[@Murderdogs]

"The effect of the radiation *IF* it reaches the United States, would be likely to be very minor indeed." Wow, look back to the days when journalists tried to present facts in a calm manner and didn't wish to spread fear and panic. Another world.

[@juliolopezguerrero9915]

Nowadays they would say: THE CLOUD WILL REACH AND WILL KILL FOR SURE ALL OF US

[@ARichardP]

⁠They wouldn’t go that far. They would hype it though for the ratings.

[@aneubeck4053]

@@ARichardP youre right the headline today would read “NUCLEAR HORROR SOVIET UNION ATTACKS AMERICA WITH NUCLEAR PARTICLES LEARN HOW YOU CAN PROTECT YOUR NUTS AND OVARIES TODAY OR YOU WILL NEVER REPRODUCE AND DIE ALONE.”

[@Burnthealphabetpeople]

They only said that cause it was true if it was dangerous do you think they would lie just to keep People Calm or warm them

[@Mark-xh8md]

​@@Burnthealphabetpeople- Would journalists lie??? 😂😂 Does a bear shit in the woods?

[@donal935]

The stark difference of class between the news then and the news now is jaw dropping.

[@nominalize8162]

comments like these make me chuckle. This wasn't the regular news, this was Nightline, a late-night news-magazine whose mission was to go in-depth and avoid speculation and sensationalism. If you miss it, guess what: It's still on every weeknight on ABC, in the same time slot it always aired, so you can still enjoy that style of journalism.

[@Meattornado]

Society changed the news went with it

[@ShadowAngel18606]

Propaganda hits different when nostalgia is involved. The experts on this american show are laughable actors (Why do i think of the Koloffs from wrestling?) and it paints a vastly different picture compared to what we experienced here in (then West) Germany and how it was reported here

[@shaboopie12]

Part of the reason for this is due to something called the Fairness Doctrine that was introduced by the FCC in 1949. It was abolished in 1987.

[@kochiyama]

​@@nominalize8162 Nightline's been a propaganda mouthpiece for over a decade now. These days are long gone, now it's all about how your baby is racist and we all need to give up our homes and cars and live in "15 minute" prison colony cities.

[@stuartmartin3408]

I wish news was still like this. Admissions of not knowing and when assumptions are being made. A fair discussion of fact and what is being inferred. Treating the viewing public with intelligence and not making a serious situation into TV entertainment.

[@Tehnicker]

How the west has fallen

[@noka1979]

The news is fucked, there was a murder during rioting here last night at around 11pm within an hour we knew what happened who it was,where she was from with a photo of her, how it happened, and by whom, the news, SKY BBC etc, had vague news at 1am and did not have details until this morning, social media is a powerful tool

[@da4127]

Pretty damn sure that everytime something serious happens the news are still using the same format, you cant compre this to the weather forecast you saw this morning.

[@SylkaChan]

TV was so kool back then

[@I_like_big_bombs]

DISASTER STRIKES IN RUSSIA! Is it World War III, I sure as fuck don't know I only have a degree in Black Studies and Journalism. Does this mean the end of the world! Find out after this Ad From Coca Cola.

[@ptrekboxbreaks5198]

TV from the 60s, 70s, 80s, 90s is so nostalgic

[@PetersPianoShoppe]

Man, that ABC Nightline theme instantly brings back my childhood.

[@jamesdenofantiquity]

No yelling, no hysterics, no monologues and no ramblings. Some men having an honest discussion of a news event. What happened to television news and how we watch it. I remember watching this program when serious news broke out like the World Series earthquake. Nobody was shouting and demanding, just reporting.

[@crabapples1995]

I think loud people have aggressively demanded that everyone’s politics must be worn as a badge of honour.

[@Dotalol123]

No mate, its the internet fault, if you are interested in facts you just need to do a ordinary google search and you can know everything that interests you anytime you want and depending on time you have you can become an expert on the topic, you dont have to wait for the news like 40 years ago, television producers are aware of that and instead of selling you facts they turned to sell you spectacles, television is just outdated thats all.

[@TheHistoryPrincess]

Piers Morgan happened 😂😂

[@paddle_my_mad_laddle]

That was back before politics became volatile. Before America experienced a political mid-life crisis following the rise of civil terror and fall of the soviet union. Without a common ideological enemy that Americans had held since the ww2, Americans would politically turn against each other. Furthermore, politics were less democratized back then, as in fewer people had an active platform to convey their opinions to thousands. Nowadays with the advent of the internet some bozo can write a politically charged twitter comment and have their opinion reach anywhere between four people to tens of millions of people. The old underground newspapers and cult-like political movements of insurgent groups in the late 19th century and early 20th century have risen to the top of media. Today the big wigs of mass media and anyone with a political opinion now fight on a leveled platform of the internet. It's only natural that this new feeling of distrust, social paranoia and contentious, volatile atmosphere of US social politics would encapsulate the modern America.

[@jameskehoe5091]

News became partisan. Its sad. I miss watching the news and finding out about what is going on. No opinions, just information.

[@JamesSavik]

When the Soviets admitted they had a problem, you had to know it was a horrible disaster that shooting a few thousand peasants couldn't cover up.

[@terrypennington2519]

I laughed way too damn hard at this...

[@daetslovactmandcarry6999]

True. 😒

[@Petey0707]

That doesn't even make sense. Ironic coming from a westerner when your history is steeped in genocide and slavery. Just remember what's happening to the whistleblowers who are exposing your corrupt politicians.

[@daetslovactmandcarry6999]

+Karl V Redweld ¿Seriously bro? ¿Seriously? ¿You're _seriously_ gonna defend a genocide three times the size of HITLER'S in the post-Auswitz era by pointing out events over a half-century earlier to counter the observation that communist countries suppress even critical but basic public safety information? Tell me you're joking.

[@amanisilvester26]

@@daetslovactmandcarry6999 Mandatory Carry rich coming from a western shill such as yourself America has killed over 20 million people since ww2 more than Hitler killed Jews and Japanese killed other peoples combined you want to talk genocide talk about the inception of your country how many thousands of Indians did you wipe out before you ran out of easily obtainable land to steal?, Honestly the fact that your calling those other countries communist only shows your level of ignorance there has never been a communist country in human history only democracys, bureaucracys and dictatorships with varying degrees of socialist policys, you Americans are truly brainwashed from birth it's sad to see. smh

[@lrmbvv]

we took T. Copple for granted back then, flawless delivery, great program, News now is a mile wide and inch deep.

[@seanz6586]

Wow! A news broadcast that actually wants to hear from scientists and experts in the field!!!!

[@that1guy335]

Where are the no-nothing hacks Im used to?!?

[@jefflewis4]

Nightline was an unusual show for the time. Rarely would you have gotten this much detail of coverage for one story back then. But Nightline would dedicate the full show (30 mins) to a single story. It was groundbreaking for its time.

[@frankwm1988]

@@jefflewis4 Now solid news is cable's job, whether it's CNN, Fox, or MSNBC.

[@shhsodjsjwiiqjsuakkajsheje1170]

Nature Boy In the mental asylums!

[@basetpk]

"Lets go with Ja-Rule to get his opinion on this"

[@barleysixseventwo6665]

USSR: Comrads we may have had a minor accident. West: There has been a major Nuclear Incident in Chernobyl! USSR: No I said MINOR accident. West: We heard you. If it was really a minor incident you wouldn’t be telling us about it. USSR: What if we had told you it was a major accident? West: We’d discuss the feasibility of continental evacuations and go from there.

[@malikmoin7598]

You, sir, must delve in screenwriting 😉

[@LorenzSinclair]

Just change accident with incident and incident with accident

[@lv4u2]

You just illustrated the political feeling at that time

[@LaserTractor]

Cpt Lorenz Sinclair as a russian who's trying to learn english What's the difference?

[@LorenzSinclair]

@@LaserTractor uh search it up , I don't actually remember anymore

[@IhmePinokkio]

My mother might have been victim of this fallout in southern Finland. We live in area where the fallout was one of the heaviest. She died 3 years after this "accident" to bone cancer.

[@Opiuth]

Question. Did the suicide rate spike in your area? Because in Sweden where I live it did.

[@brucheweinberger6863]

She probably was. My friend's cousin died of cancer as he was a soldier that was sent to clean up there without adequate protection.

[@NGabunchanumbers]

Sorry for your mother. Just curious, why did you put accident in quotations?

[@kathykillgore6440]

sorry for your loss

[@giraffeman326]

I wish news was still this honest

[@madmanmapper]

It's nice to watch REAL news for a change... even if it's really old.

[@JoaoAlves-zz6tx]

This is like ASMR for journalists. Feels really good to watch news without BS, even with some anti-commie moments.

[@trulymeparker]

Your comment made me feel ancient because I'm from 1975

[@linkplays95]

Mhm

[@-Danny]

This video held my attention and left me satisfied. Normally I am disinterested in broadcasted news, but even though I already knew the story, this video kept my curiosity. It feels strange to enjoy old news like this. I’m curious to watch other news reports from this time period. Do they hold up to this example? At the same time, I‘m disappointed that I was not around for reports like these. Although I’m hopeful a new standard for succinct news like so arise in popularity.

[@gsxerwhite]

jmarks881 it was HER turn

[@jcb5782]

You know, I kinda want to start a talkshow like this. No jokes, no humor, no political aims, no unneccesary special effects, just reviewing the most influential event of the week in an objective manner.

[@raymond4955]

I want more talkshows like this: kzbin.info/www/bejne/aoKXgGiwqd9saNE

[@dreamabyss5423]

You'd have to at least talk about the Kardasians or not enough people will watch.

[@ryanpatron6940]

I’d watch it.

[@CatFoodCritic]

Did you do it?

[@kaps89]

Raymond why are you geh

[@mitchceiling1506]

I miss when the news reporting was like this. This kind of reporting died in the late 90’s and was cremated after 9/11

[@artistwithouttalent]

I'd like to make a joke about jet fuel melting media criticism and integrity in news reporting, but I hate conspiracy theorists too much.

[@LoFiHaven693]

"50,000 people used to live here. Now it's a ghost town."

[@andrewfloor8651]

I’ve never seen anything like it.

[@MrFittb]

good ol' Cpt. MacMillan

[@lilcam-qk9mp]

Back when news was simply news and not this modern cancer we have now

[@u.v.s.5583]

Back when you actually didn't need to watch the news to get cancer. In those days you could simply breathe in the iodine and get your cancer.

[@willypete1897]

Teds hair absorbed most of the radiation. Ted is a hero.

[@christiancolossus5165]

🤣🤣🤣.....His toupee glows in the dark now.

[@gatorflight74]

Helluva rug he sported there.

[@bradjames891]

Humor is appreciated.

[@barbaravyse660]

And the nuclear physicist too 😂

[@jaymac7203]

Loool 😭😂

[@ronaldgarrison8478]

The containment buildings on US reactors were emphasized quite a bit. But this was two days after the accident, and they didn't know then the full scope of what happened. We now know that the explosion was huge, to the extent that any of our containments would have been destroyed. The explosion blew the lid off the reactor hall-I think it was 1000 tonnes, and blown a dozens of meters into the air. This was not just a meltdown, but much more extreme.

[@Kyle-gb9dq]

Our reactors won't explode like that one did. Ours are a different design. They just melt down. But ours have a containment building, their's does not.

[@ronaldgarrison8478]

@@Kyle-gb9dq Por dios you don't have to explain that to me. None of that relates to my comment. Again: No containment could have contained the Chernobyl explosion, which was far too violent to contain.

[@totalyep]

They failed to mention that the use reactors are water moderated making them much safer. The Soviet designs use boron for moderation making them unstable by design.

[@ProfessorIgor]

An RBMK containment vessel would have to have been ridiculously strong and big.. Like the RBMK itself. They're GINORMOUS.

[@ronaldgarrison8478]

@@ProfessorIgor Exactly. In fact, if such a containment were in place, anything and anyone within it would probably have been destroyed. There might have even been serious problems with the ground supporting such a structure. It might have been even more extreme than the present New Safe Confinement.

[@stanleyqc2244]

I'm really impressed by the quality of journalism in this 33 year old footage. People actually seem to be knowledgeable about the subjects they're talking about. 6:26 "... or is it normal human instinct to cut corners?" - Very well said!

[@Lyne_Taperz]

Yeah I was like : "oh you could say that on TV thirty years ago."

[@helenaprimera516]

"worst case scenario is reactor meltdown" OH LITTLE DID THEY KNOW BACK THEN

[@helenaprimera516]

​@@PSNcharlie97 Chernobyl wasnt only explosion. It was core explosion with radioactive fallout on half of the planet, threat of the massive steam explosion with same fallout, and meltdown actually happened too, its just that bottom part was reinforced in time, before it forced through concrete to the soil. This is worst case scenario. Half of the europe got higher cancer rates, irradiated forests in north, irradiated water, Soviet republics got affected by this too. It got INES rank 7 for a reason.

[@Zappina]

@@helenaprimera516 Chernobyl was a partial reactor wall meltdown and a steam explosion. It could have worse though, a full reactor meltdown when the steam build up pressure which then break the protective wall apart in a huge steam explosion, carrying radioactive material all around a huge area. There is no core explosion, the core melted down to the basement where it formed the thing called Elephant Foot.

[@spankthemonkey3437]

ForMan Kind like in Japan

[@Beans360]

@@PSNcharlie97 not true. A core reactor exploding spewing high levels of radiation into the atmosphere for months is far worse than fuel leaking into the ground. If a meltdown had occurred then yes it would of potential contaminated the ground water mildly over the Ukrainian but not as much as the contamination of what the radioactive particles spewed out into the atmosphere which contaminated much more than water. And let's not forget a meltdown takes time and can be prevented which is why they had time to reinforce the protection underneath the reactor. The core exploding was instant.

[@ucirak]

@@helenaprimera516 you are writing nonsense, I am from Czechoslovakia and there was no nuclear explosion at that time. There was a melting of the fuel cells in the reactor and the subsequent rupture of the reactor due to the accumulation of energy to a critical point, and radioactivity escaped into the air from the burning reactor.

[@TickleFingers]

I remember when news was just "news"......... I miss the 80's and 90's.

[@northroad1]

Plenty of spin and no one to contradict it

[@user-ri5oc5rw5b]

Now is political political political political political and COMMUNISM

[@novemberajax3226]

I say the same, and I from the other country.

[@cesarcedillos1032]

Fox News started in 1996, that’s when the news went to the shitter.

[@vercoda9997]

Leave America then. Most of the rest of our countries just present the news without the toxic spin and personality-led segments that’s destroyed America’s limited news.

[@timfenton7469]

Real journalism, refreshing.

[@Keichwoud357]

Back when information was not instantly available to everyone, giving news media actual purpose and responsibility, which they did their best to cherish.

[@TechBuRn1337]

Could we please go back to media like this?

[@ehex3]

There's no profit in it

[@Holret]

We kind are already there - just a hint of BS you have to be able to sniff out.

[@megsinzoa7424]

Just stop watching the news.....

[@paulallen8109]

The ADHD generation with the 5 second attention span wouldn't watch it I'm afraid. They get all their "news" from their favorite social media "celebrity" anyhow which is why quite a high percentage of them only speak internet meme and repeat things like parrots.

[@eloisanzara237]

Paul Allen I was going to fight you there, but I just remembered that my generation literally forgot the fact that Cardi B literally robbed someone. When I brought it up, they didn’t care that their favorite artist is a thief.

[@Muonium1]

A fascinating historical artifact.

[@Deplorable_Nerfherder]

10mintwo it's still playing out presently, and will have significant effects for another 600 years

[@jonjonas2528]

Chernobyl will be fine In the year 501987

[@jonjonas2528]

Chernobyl will be fine in the year 501987

[@play-doughsrepublic5121]

Thank you for this. I remember that event. Ted Koppel handele this in a professional manner, as he always has.

[@miroslawczajka3577]

Excellent and interesting material! It was amazing to get the perception of the event from "the other side" of the wall. In 1986 I was child in Poland and believe me - the event was widely present in the state media and "in the streets". Poland - despite the advice from our "Big Brother" from the east - took a lot of preventive actions to protect their own citizens from the aftermath of this catastrophe.

[@ylette]

Living in Denmark in 1986 I got really tired of the Soviet Union once they started spewing radioactive clouds over us and not telling us what was going on.

[@unitedwestand56]

Don't worry, I lived in Odessa, Ukraine at the time, and they didn't tell us neither

[@radiostalker740]

You said like they did it to actually hurt people. This was a catastrophy, a lot of people got sick and died. Have you read about Ukrainian and Russian casualties? Blame Gorbachev and his friends, not the country and regime.

[@snx70]

Not being told in Denmark? I'm Danish and clearly remember the incident in 1986 - concerns over fallout was very common in Danish news. I also remember a school trip to the East getting cancelled because the school was concerned of contaminated food. Obviously nobody knew the FULL extent of the incident, we barely do now :)

[@unitedwestand56]

@@snx70 I think he meant the Soviets who provided delayed and limited information about the event.

[@jonjonas2528]

Think those Chernobyl workers saved millions. And millions of white people when they shut down the reactor god. Bless them white lives matter

[@alexmcqueen2748]

Then "- and to discuss the potential outcomes here is an expert in the field..." Now "- and to discuss these findings is our topic correspondent..."

[@crashlogger4283]

And as a professional, we'll talk to this 7 year old we told we'd give a lollipop if he talked to us

[@drone_video9849]

​@Ken Lompart not if you hold down the Mute :-) but yeah your right on this.

[@Dylan-xv3hp]

@@crashlogger4283 If he read this script*

[@njclondon2009]

too true. ahh, the age of reasoned reporting. I think you're being kind, i think today there would be a little scrolling text saying, "BREAKING NEWS: RUSSIAN NUCLEAR MELTDOWN ENDANGERS THE LIFE OF MILLIONS"

[@isaac_aren]

Now "-and to give their thoughts on these findings, here is a random celebrity"

[@Devin7Eleven]

No agenda, no narrative. Just straight information with what they have.

[@carstenpfundt]

It's a good segment but you thinking ABC had no narrative and no agenda is wild to me

[@metalgearsolidsnake6978]

Always nice to see back in history:) Thank you for this:)

[@simokoistinen7470]

This comment section in nutshell: Everyone came here when they watched HBO's Chernobyl and got satisfied by old news.

[@karlisulmanis3810]

I haven't watched the HBO series yet... watch me edit this in a few years when I've watched it

[@VicMcFly111]

Simo Koistinen täähän se ois

[@TechnologicallyTechnical]

You forgot about all the comments of boomers complaining about the news nowadays

[@kingkold]

True for me lol

[@Zappina]

Never watched that crap. Its more like a western type docudrama than anything else.

[@PlaceStillMatters]

I bet this clip is going to get a decent uptick in viewership due to HBO’s excellent new miniseries “Chernobyl” (admittedly based on just the first episode). And yes, television news used to be MUCH LESS entertaining and MUCH MORE informative. Oh, how I miss real journalism.

[@gotch09]

I saw episode 3 last night. Ending was so sad.

[@mrbriscoe2001]

No more Ted Koppells, either...

[@FallKrietr]

I agreed, disasters are entertaining indeed.

[@gowersup6441]

Keith Bell congrats for copying other people’s comments bro

[@artistwithouttalent]

I'll be honest, this is more entertaining, too. Watching the imbeciles I see on TV news flailing about and parroting the party line of whoever their viewers support makes me long for the sweet release of death. There's something very interesting to watch about smart people being competent.

[@AndrewTubbiolo]

It's stunning how 24 hours into the crisis, how much of the prognosticated points came out to be true when everything played out.

[@CatroiOz]

It's because they actually do not speculate on things they don't know about. Meaning their predictions are based on the facts they have. Notice how many times they say "we do not know" and move on to what they know. You wouldn't have that nowadays unfortunately.

[@dsanders9648]

God..... I miss Ted Koppel

[@chrismeier5553]

I feel like I actually learned something . The news was also a source of knowledge with what’s going on. Now it’s just people yelling “you’re wrong”

[@jenniferclark9842]

Chris Meier And people wonder why I don’t watch the news anymore. It gives me a headache. I turn on the Weather Channel in the morning, and that’s it.

[@nubreed13]

yeah everything went sideways when the fairness doctrine was removed.

[@nominalize8162]

Fun fact: This wasn't the regular news, this was Nightline, a late-night news-magazine whose mission was to go in-depth and avoid speculation and sensationalism. It made Ted Koppel a household name. If you miss that style, guess what: Nightline is still on EVERY weeknight on ABC, in the same time slot it always aired, so you can still enjoy that style of journalism.

[@vapingcat1885]

I am from Slovakia, and I can confirm that the first time the public was informed of this accident was from Austria, because the capital is almost on the borders, people were able to tune in non Soviet channels, which was almost 2 days sooner than Soviets admitted, and if that's not enought, Soviets said nothing about safety precautions, while In Vienna it was not advised to open windows and go into sand and dirt

[@Opiuth]

Heh, I was playing in the sandbox in Sweden when the rain came. Strange thing is that the suicidal rate spiked and was one if not the highest in the country. Scientists still monitor wild boars in Uppsala and Gävle.

[@LMB222]

We in Poland listened to Western radio and we also knew immediately. Commies had to admit something was wrong when the streets got completely empty - and it was an unusually sunny and warm spring. And then they started handing out iodine to kids and pregnant women, so any pretense of "nothing happened" was blown off.

[@Danny-Germany]

thanks for uploading!

[@toby1439]

"50,000 people used to live in this city. Now it's a ghost town." - Captain MacMillan

[@eFeXuy]

It's only 3.6 roetgens. I've been told it's the same as a chest x-ray.

[@vikasagarwal9205]

Not great not terrible.

[@convilcali]

Did you hear that on Glenn beck show?

[@filipinowhiteboy]

@@convilcali It's from the HBO show

[@vercoda9997]

An exposure that’s over very quickly indeed, Not sustained. You might as well waft your fingertip through the world’s smallest candle flame, and claim how harmless it is. Holding that fingertip in place for 40 minutes over that tiny flame, however...

[@jaybeeo1530]

Yeah 400 of them..

[@NJbldragon]

After seeing Chernobyl, this news segment is haunting knowing some of the implications of the size of the disaster.

[@wingsley]

Thank you for sharing this.

[@luigitrollface]

"One of the atomic reactors has been damaged." *DAMAGED*

[@JetFuueled]

Yeah just some damage yknow, nothing major right?

[@rightcoast7049]

The damn Soviets would try to downplay absolutely anything that would make them look incompetent lol

[@gutsfinky]

Yeah, damaged... not BLOWN TO BITS

[@impasse0124]

It’s scary to watch this old footage knowing in retrospect that it wasn’t a meltdown but an explosion and that the damage was far more serious than anyone outside of the USSR could’ve known.

[@natlek08]

Not only outside of the USSR but people living in the Soviet Union too. Only people who were in the communist party or directly saw the site knew what happened in its entirety until after the fall of the USSR and the large majority of the people who saw it died prematurely. Most of the documents weren't declassified until the late 90's, early 2000s. Even months after the accident, citizens from the exclusion zone were never told they could never go home. More people within the USSR learned of the accident from allied forces radio broadcasts than from their own government.

[@cromagn1n]

It was a meltdown resulting from an explosion.

[@jlgunn922]

To give them credit though, they do state multiple times that the fact that the Soviets are acknowledging that anything happened at all is telling that this is extremely serious and something to be very worried about

[@pepebeezon772]

It is a meltdown... You can't have a nuclear explosion from a reactor. In a nuclear bomb they use uranium with around 50% U235(the enriched isotope). The Rbmk uses a 2% enriched uranium (only 2% of the uranium atoms are U235) while the naturally occurring uranium only contains 0.7%. And there are even reactors who uses non-enriched uranium like CANDU. A reactor can't cause a nuclear explosion. Look it up. A meltdown means a reactor over heating melting the concret core and releasing the radioactive isotopes into the environment. When you hear about a nuclear reactor explosion it's most likely caused by steam because a reactor is hot and that's how they make power.

[@Zappina]

@@pepebeezon772 Nicely done. Clearly you cant have nuclear explosion from a power plant, but you can have an explosion, steam or electrical. Although the reactor melted down, it was only partial, otherwise the damage would be far worse. Good to know some people are still use their brains and the informations readily available to them.

[@promiscuouscrab4040]

Wow I’m hearing facts....clear, concise, unadulterated, informative facts! No unyielding bias, no speculation, just information based on measurements and observations.

[@JustinDeFouw]

The news I miss when I was a kid. And I will never forget that famous opening theme.

[@bunqiejump]

the whole report is almost all speculation though, informed speculation but at the time no one knew for sure

[@jenniferclark9842]

bunqiejump All they could do then was make educated guesses, based on what little information they had and their expertise (nuclear science).

[@luxborealis]

But most of the speculation is wrong... For example the reactor didn’t have a meltdown until weeks after this, as a result of the dumping of boron sand.

[@ConkersBFDN64]

Most of it is speculation, but it was made absolutely clear what was fact and what was hypothesis. Plus it was well explained how they used the few facts they had to get to their hypothesis.

[@LittleWhiskey]

Thanks KZbin recommendations...can’t help but think you put this in my feed for some secret reason ;)

[@retorique]

Some of those graphics are amazing!

[@C.Dynamo]

Who else is here after watching *HBO'S CHERNOBYL*

[@jonjonas2528]

That movie is great hbo

[@marieantoinettescake9513]

I'm here after watching Game of Thrones. 👍

[@jonjonas2528]

I can't wait for episode two of Chernobyl that first episode was great and historic it was real cool how many episodes will there be of Chernobyl ?

[@movienerd202]

@@marieantoinettescake9513 In Chernobyl they were tickling the dragons tail and got swatted.

[@MrGutty117]

@@jonjonas2528 5 episodes total, the 2nd one is already out. They premier every monday.

[@sidneyfrederickson3941]

I remember when this happened and the reaction at the UN. At one point the ambassador from Denmark turning to the Soviets and shouting "YOU HAVE MURDERED US!"

[@theotherotter]

is somewhere on internet the footage of this ? i really want to see the meeting.

[@jenniferclark9842]

He shouldn’t have held back. He should have been more blunt.

[@TheRealCaptainJamesTKirk]

Gorbachev made a statement about opinion of the USSR being lowered, and you have to give him credit. I mean, when global opinion of your nation is already shit, and you find a way to lower it, that's an accomplishment.

[@telescopicS627]

Excellent reporting

[@ArkamasRoss]

One mature, professional line of simple straightforward facts after another with real journalists referencing real experts.

[@bloodranger1188]

“Damaged reactor” is an understatement 😂

[@bernybrandon]

its triple of an understatement bro

[@KingThrillgore]

It blew its top off.

[@danielcarlson800]

It melted to nothing.

[@u.v.s.5583]

- The reactor is damaged. - How do you know? - It is not there anymore! - If it is not there, how do you know it is damaged? Comrade, stop spreading disinformation or you go to jail and your family gets shot in Siberia!

[@livethefuture2492]

That's what the Soviets do...

[@Emmet72]

Just another incident that made the 80s a wild decade

[@josakura]

This format of newscasting is really good!!! ❤

[@nicholasyoder]

I remember watching this when I was 9 years old. Scared the shit out of me.

[@nizloc4118]

Same here.. maybe more freaked out because I was a kid... but as an 80s kid, already convinced Id die from Nuclear war or AIDS, I assumed "welp. Here we go"

[@NullyBird]

American Media: "Something terrible has happened" VIewer: "What are they going to bait me with this time?" Soviet Media: "An accident has occured" Viewer: "I'm dead"

[@abasvee]

Well, is it tho? "Between 1951 and 1992, the U.S. government conducted a total of 928 nuclear tests here (Nevada test site). Out of these tests 100 were atmospheric, and 828 were underground. " How many information of this tests have you got from your government?

[@mothra__13]

man, old school american news reporting was the shit. nowadays we're, ironically, much closer to the soviet model of "journalism."

[@joshgellis6098]

bleh has brains. WTF!? 🤣😂

[@Gozoman24]

We call that "propaganda."

[@user-ok2yb5zi2g]

That man WAS 👨 the shit. I love how he actually breaks it down. More information than any of the knews I see now.

[@bmasters1981]

@@user-ok2yb5zi2g Ted Koppel?

[@IntrepidFraidyCat]

It's so weird to see these old broadcasts. I was fresh out of high school when this happened.

[@Nathan-jh1ho]

7:43 Soviet Expert: Vladimir Lenin

[@Lex5576]

This marked the beginning of the end for the Communists in Russia. Times really sucked for the Russians at this point. Not just Chernobyl, but also the 40th Army's performance (shellacking) in Afghanistan, food shortages, and economic stagnation. The Russian people went from loving the Regime.....to distrusting the Regime....and finally hating the Regime. I'm certain Gorbachev knew what Chernobyl meant, the very existence of Soviet society was about to die.

[@furrball]

we need another one today to stop Putin and his disgusting levels of conservatism. Anyone volunteering to blow up one of the remaining RBMKs, say in Kursk? :D

[@watchrami]

Loving the regime? :)

[@jonver1104]

Soviet union never really had anything good that was given to their people and to those nations they've controlled, like north korea and East Germany.

[@_Andrew2002]

@@furrball Trust me, Conservatism is a lot better than socialism. Heck anything between moderate left and moderate right is better than socialism

[@dreamabyss5423]

It was the beginning of Glasnost that eventually led to the destruction of the Soviet empire.

[@sweetnsour3693]

I like how professional this all is.

[@lindseyhudson1274]

A lot of people are commenting that they wish the news was still this way, except that it is if you watch the right channels. My local news stations all report the news with facts only. My local ABC, NBC, CBS and FOX all report the same information in the same way. And if you still watch Nightline today you know they also still report the news without a bias. So, if you are getting super biased reporting then you are choosing the wrong channels to watch. Watch your local news and prime time news like Nightline, World News Tonight and Evening News for straightforward delivery. Stay away from cable news channels that do slant to the left or the right. It's that simple. A good radio channel to listen to is NPR for accurate information.

[@LordZontar]

I very likely saw this very Nightline segment at the time. I was a big news junkie coming out of high school and I watched all these news programmes: Nightline, 60 Minutes, The McNeil-Lehrer Hour, Washington Week In Review, etc, along with news specials as they came out.

[@MichaelJW72]

The USSR couldn't keep this one covered up because Chernobyl was too close to the rest of Europe including US Allies who raised the alarm.

[@paulallen8109]

Sure thing. The first reports came from a Swedish nuclear plant (Forsmark) which discovered unusually high levels of radiation outside their own plant. Last time I checked Sweden was neutral during the Cold War and not part of any "alliance". No "US Allies" raised the alarm. Sweden did and they correctly concluded the radiation probably stemmed from the Soviet Union and openly told it to international media. THIS forced the Soviet Union to come forth and admit there had been an accident at Chernobyl. Btw, Finland (also a neutral country) had discovered high levels of radiation even before that but they chose to delay the news another day by which time Sweden had already told the world. You brush up on your history. A neutral nation raised the alarm. Period.

[@LordZontar]

"A nuclear plant in Sweden has detected radiation, and identified it as a byproduct of our fuel. The Americans took satellite photos of the reactor building, the smoke, the fire. The whole world knows. The wind has been blowing toward Germany. They're not letting children play outside, in Frankfurt."

[@johnroscoe2406]

@@paulallen8109 Were you really THAT mad about his comment?

[@mathgasm8484]

My parents would not let me play in the sandbox till the sand was replaced and the radioactive cloud from Chernobyl was gone.

[@rachelslur8729]

Seems reasonable, I wouldn't want my kids possiby eating on touching a radioactive partice.

[@thedemonhater7748]

ุุ ุ it doesn’t make any sense. If the sand is radioactive, so is everything else.

[@mathgasm8484]

@@thedemonhater7748 They waited till the military base replaced it. It was the 80s after all.

[@leovikstrom8266]

Thedemonhater That’s not how it works

[@sigsin1]

Yeah...talk to the downwinders of the Nevada Test Site.

[@ushireborn]

man... i love ted koppel

[@reaganforsythe9735]

One of the reactors has been "damaged"

[@nolen1960]

It should have been called destroyed.

[@baruchben-david4196]

Yeah. You blow up the reactor, it's damaged. It's just amazing that the Soviet Union even acknowledged anything happened. They were great for just denying everything.

[@iuliya95]

Baruch Ben-David bullshit. In a first day the personnel didn’t know that the reactor was blown up. They even tried to flow water there

[@DocC993]

Even this broadcast doesn't know the full extent of it; they talk about full meltdown, when actually the core exploded! Even worse than anyone at that time could imagine. One can see why even Soviet officials were in denial at first.

[@jonjonas2528]

In the Chernobyl hbo movie the Chernobyl power plant looks like it was built in the year 1900

[@TheVredeHunter]

Crazy how what actually happened was 10x worse than what they thought

[@LMB222]

You mean ten times less bad?

[@lukeborst2751]

Very interesting indeed, love learning about history from many perspectives and especially primary sources

[@chocolatechicken1930]

14:37 When a scientist could still reasonably say "From what I've heard in the media"

[@fratercontenduntocculta8161]

its quite interesting to read all of the comments about how happy we would all be if the media just gave up the act it's using now. I would be too. I'm glad the internet exists to let us see great old stuff like this.

[@sillygoose635]

There is no act, maybe if idiots weren't so blindly stupid, we would have a better world

[@cadinnelson5168]

Stevie what do you mean by “there is no act?”

[@neoamaru]

y'know, for the time, the graphics and visuals looked awesome!

[@Pidalin]

compared to communist TV news really yes :-D

[@dudestir127]

It was interesting when they said the worst possible thing that could've happened was a meltdown, not even considering it was an explosion

[@1Reddd]

It’s crazy how most of the world knew more about what was going on than the USSR’s own citizens. If citizens of a foreign country know more about a disaster that happened in your own country than you do, there’s a problem.

[@Dirtyboxer1]

boring, calm, informative, non-partisan news casts. i miss this.

[@Tortuosit]

Even in Germany, which is always maybe 2-5 years behind the US, every snowstorm is now a "end of the world" disaster. Was surprised how calm the abc news were.

[@atomsmash100]

That's how it used to be on every network. Now the news in the U.S. is a disgrace, with the exception of PBS. Just the news, please. Thank you.

[@lucillebluth2616]

I remember this on TV, I was so scared! sending prayers to all those affected 🙏

[@AkronJosh]

Man, Ted and that ABC nightly news sound 👌

[@j.mangum7652]

When the news was much less perceived as bullshit

[@svetlanarodriguez7429]

I miss those days.

[@BigBoiTurboslav]

sure buddy

[@j.mangum7652]

I said it was less so perceived, not totally bs free

[@tstarcher2001]

It seems like they did a lot less "speculation" back then than they do now.

[@ohiopower]

Blew up 2 days before this broadcast.

[@Shadow77999]

So scherbina was on the helicopter with legasov then this was aired :D

[@Shadow77999]

So scherbina was with scherbina on its way to the reactor when this happened :D

[@mtphill71]

How you still alive? 💥

[@judyl.761]

Ted Koppel is my favorite news broadcaster there has ever been. So talented. RESPECT.

[@chincemagnet]

That night line music takes me back to my Nana’s house when I was 5

[@sdot5389]

Nana let you stay up until 1130 PM?

[@chincemagnet]

@@sdot5389 nah, I’m pretty sure the same music played at 5 or 6 which is when we would be eating dinner. Grandfather was mostly deaf so there was little talk at the dinner table, he wanted to tv playing in the background to drown out something to do with his hearing aid

[@nate1988]

HBO's 'Chernobyl' is fantastic so far and used some of this footage in their second episode. Highly recommended!

[@jonjonas2528]

Chernobyl is great so action. Packed with adventure what a great action movie the best part no black in the movie

[@jonjonas2528]

Chernobyl should have happened in Africa not the Soviet Union white lives matter

[@TheRealCaptainJamesTKirk]

@@jonjonas2528 it may interest you to know that Russia sent a team to South Africa to possibly help build nuclear reactors there, and the team came back stating that would be a horrible idea.

[@K3v114]

The map they show at 9:02 is wrong. Chernobyl is 30 miles north. That shows you just how little information they had on the soviets.

[@Metal_Enjoyer]

ksw33n3y yeah but nowadays with our more advanced mapping tech we would probably be able to figure it out even if they still didn’t release any information

[@Indipuk]

Soviet union never released any precious maps. It was all a military secret

[@Jagstosupabowl]

This nuclear disaster could of been so much worse if the liquidators, fire fighters, nurses, and many more people who sacrificed their lives. If these people didn’t do their job scientist from modern day say that it could of affected most of the world. The sad thing is that none of these people were told what happened at Chernobyl they just went in and did their job like normal people the bravery was off the charts. Major respect to them and rest in peace for all people who died this was the most tragic accident in Ukrainian history.

[@AS768]

Watching this made me realize that I have not witnessed real journalism since I was a kid. This was refreshing to watch.

[@MrSpruce]

Two men from my Stepmother's village in Latvia went to help. They both died in the same summer as one another two years later, in their forties.

[@mlgmounted9599]

lol soviet TV host says one of the nuclear reactors damaged, ha, damaged, u know)

[@Kni0002]

more like completely destroyed

[@mark33545]

Technically true lol

[@KKKVVV-ox6sm]

fuckin exploded

[@Pllayer064]

Just, uh, some minor leakage from, uh, cafeteria's waste disposal facilities resulting in emergency evacuation. It's, uuuuh, it's just a drill.

[@StellarYankee]

Encyclopedia PapaStalina: Damaged: Cover word for big boom boom, kill many people, none of your business, go back to pick wheat Cyka Blyat!