Following up on yesterday’s item about ABC’s controversial “loose nukes” investigation, ABC News has released a statement about its Primetime report:
“ABC News is extremely proud of the Primetime investigation that ran last night and the field work done by the Carnegie Fellows. The results of this investigation speak for themselves. In a post 9/11 world, experts agree that securing nuclear material should be a priority.”
It explains: “The goal of this investigation was to do something the federal government does not: conduct unannounced field tests at the various reactors to see how easy or difficult it would be for a stranger to gain access to the reactors — not how easy or difficult it would be for an experienced investigative journalist. As graduate students the fellows were ideal candidates to undertake the legwork.
When asked, they identified themselves truthfully as graduate students. Terrorists don’t announce their intentions, nor do they notify security officials in advance that they plan to visit.
Based on the findings of ABC News’ investigation the Nuclear Regulatory Commission has opened an investigation into at least five of the schools.”
The full statement is after the jump…
“ABC News is extremely proud of the “Primetime†investigation that ran last night and the field work done by the Carnegie Fellows. The results of this investigation speak for themselves. In a post 9/11 world, experts agree that securing nuclear material should be a priority.
The investigation revealed serious security flaws at many of the university reactors: easy access to locked reactor facilities for visitors who showed up unannounced; unmanned guard booths; unlocked building doors; no metal detectors and only a few required background checks or searches of visitors.
In a statement about the ABC News investigation, Congressman Christopher Shays, Chairman of the Subcommittee on National Security, Emerging Threats and International Relations said: “Without question, nuclear research labs are attractive targets for terrorists determined to turn modern technology against us, and willing to die while doing so. It’s imperative that our nuclear research facilities have the same stringent security demands that we require of other federal agencies.â€
Professor Graham Allison of Harvard, a former assistant secretary of Defense, told ABC News: “The reactors themselves could become the sources of substantial dirty bombs. It spews radioactivity, and that radioactivity can create radiation sickness. It can significantly increase our chances of getting cancer or leukemia, or other diseases.â€
The fieldwork for this investigation was done by Carnegie fellows. Ten top college journalism and public policy graduate students were chosen by deans at five of the nation’s leading universities to participate in the Summer Institute at ABC News, as part of a new program by the Carnegie Corporation of New York and the John and James L. Knight Foundation to further journalism education.
The ten fellows worked for two months with ABC News Chief Investigative Correspondent Brian Ross and the award-winning ABC News Investigative Unit. The fellows received intensive training in ABC News editorial news practices and were given specialized instruction to work with the investigative unit. The entire program was overseen by the Senior Vice President of Editorial Quality at ABC News. Throughout their work on this investigation the fellows were supervised on a daily basis by Senior Investigative Producer Rhonda Schwartz
Ross’ previous reports on gaps in port security won the prestigious Columbia-DuPont Award and led to Congressional hearings.
The goal of this investigation was to do something the federal government does not: conduct unannounced field tests at the various reactors to see how easy or difficult it would be for a stranger to gain access to the reactors – not how easy or difficult it would be for an experienced investigative journalist. As graduate students the fellows were ideal candidates to undertake the legwork.
When asked, they identified themselves truthfully as graduate students. Terrorists don’t announce their intentions, nor do they notify security officials in advance that they plan to visit.
Based on the findings of ABC News’ investigation the Nuclear Regulatory Commission has opened an investigation into at least five of the schools.
“The NRC will not hesitate to take strong enforcement action should we find a violation,” said Eliot B. Brenner, director of the NRC’s Office of Public Affairs. The NRC is also reviewing the adequacy of reactor security plans at other schools as a result of the ABC News investigation, Brenner said.
ABC News shared its findings with the schools and the NRC in advance so that security lapses could be addressed before the findings were reported publicly