TND Exclusive: By Eric Dubin |

Three days ago, The News Doctors published a story that drew some skepticism within social media. Unfortunately, the story is not an internet conspiracy theory. Upon further investigation, this appears to be the sort of story that needs to go through multiple rounds of “distribution” and time before the mainstream media pays attention – if ever.

Over a year ago, eight crew members that served on the USS Ronald Reagan during a Fukushima rescue effort called “Operation Tomadachi” filed a lawsuit against Tokyo Electric Power Co (TEPCO). As time passed, additional plaintiffs joined the lawsuit. By April, 2013, twenty-six plaintiffs were named in the case — “Cooper et al v. Tokyo Electric Power Company, Inc. et. al., case number 3:2013cv00773, filed with the United States District Court for the Southern District of California. Today, 51 plaintiffs are now named. According to a recent interview with Charles A. Bonner, one of the attorneys representing plaintiffs, the number will soon rise. As the plaintiff pool grows, perhaps the mainstream media will no longer be able to ignore the story.

It’s not for the media to judge the merits of the plaintiffs’ case. That’s the responsibility of our judicial system. But what is disturbing is the near total lack of mainstream media coverage this story has generated.

The Helen Caldicott Foundation and The New York Academy of Medicine hosted a 2 day symposium last March on “The Medical and Ecological Consequences of the Fukushima Nuclear Accident.” Well known anti-nuclear activist Dr. Helen Caldicott moderated a press conference as part of the symposium, where US Navy Quartermasters (retired) Maurice Enis and Jaime Plym detailed their radiation exposure and subsequent health damage while serving “Operation Tomadachi” on the USS Ronald Reagan. The symposium noted, “over 150 participants in the mission are reported to have since developed tumors, tremors, internal bleeding, hair loss and other health problems they attribute to radiation exposure.” Excerpts of the press conference with Enis and Plym can be seen in the YouTube video below. Video of the entire symposium is now online, accessible at the link above or via this direct link.

Writing for the respected Courthouse News Service, Elizabeth Warmerdam quoted sections of the plaintiffs’ complaint:

“TEPCO pursued a policy to cause rescuers, including the plaintiffs, to rush into an unsafe area which was too close to the FNPP [Fukushima Nuclear Power Plant] that had been damaged. Relying upon the misrepresentations regarding health and safety made by TEPCO … the U.S. Navy was lulled into a false sense of security.” … “Defendant TEPCO and the government of Japan, conspired and acted in concert, among other things, to create an illusory impression that the extent of the radiation that had leaked from the site of the FNPP was at levels that would not pose a threat to the plaintiffs…”

Click here to read Elizabeth Warmerdam’s entire report.

On December 10th, activist news service “Nuclear Hotseat” released its 129th Podcast. Just over 23 minutes into the program, Producer, Libbe Halevy conducts a highly informative interview with Charles A. Bonner, one of the attorney’s representing plaintiffs against TEPCO and Japan. Click here to listen to the interview and to see Halevy’s other stories discussed in show #129.

The fact that this interview has been “live” for a week but has received little exposure is yet another example of the mainstream media basically ignoring this story. Looking at the Alexa.com ranking for the Nuclear Hotseat website at about 5 AM EST, December 17th, it had a ranking of 4,923,047 out of global web sites, a tiny reach but up an astounding 18,075,284 points. Credit where credit is due, Al Jazeera’s American audience blog picked-up on Halevy’s interview and is probably one of the main factors behind the sudden leap in Nuclear Hotseat’s website rank. Click here to read Al Jazeera’s story. Hopefully, with The News Doctors coverage and with the syndication of our blog partners and individuals sharing this story further, Halevy’s informative interview will receive more attention.

In sum, this story is not an internet conspiracy theory. The court filing is available, as a public document. The News Doctors is in no position to be able to judge the veracity of the plaintiffs’ case. Again, that’s a determination for our judicial system. But one thing is for sure: the mainstream media has for the most part, ignored this story.

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