Chiba Mayor Mr. Kumagaya mentioned his opinion on media’s fairness regarding this COVID19 pandemic. This was well received by Japanese people and some deeply agreed with Kumagaya, and others encouraged Kumagaya to release his ideas more.
Chiba is the fourth largest prefecture in greater Tokyo area in terms of population, and Narita airport and Tokyo Disney land are located in Chiba.
Kumagaya’s points are as follows: Not only negative affect or concerns but also positive outcomes or prospects have to be reported and released from media, when we think seriously about ending this pandemic as soon as possible.
Interesting point is his opinion presumably has been followed by younger generations like thirties and forties.
Mr. Kumagai belongs to the Democratic Party but his implemented policies rather look smart business person such as inviting ZOZO, the ecommerce guru, to Chiba.
followings are the English translation of that page via google translation.
Voice of praise from the Mayor of Chiba’s “complaints to the media” “Well said well” “I want you to report this”
A new type of coronavirus infectious disease that occurred in January 2020 and continues to make noise all over the world as of May.
It is likely that many people will continue to have an extraordinary life due to the spread of infection, and will be physically and mentally weakened by stress and anxiety.
Mayor of Chiba complains to media reports
The Chiba City website updates the Mayor Toshito Kumagai’s “Mayor’s Message about the New Coronavirus” every few days.
We provide information about the number of infected people in the city, answers to questions from citizens, and support for people in need.
In addition to those information, the Mayor Kumagai’s message released on May 1, the same year , spelled out some reports as ” Keeping distance from easy news and understanding the current situation correctly .”
In addition, we would like all of the news media to fully understand their responsibilities as public institutions in society.
People tend to report only what went wrong at the time of a disaster, but if we do not adequately report both what went well and what went wrong, the public will lose confidence.
Since I was also the mayor of the new influenza, I understand that Japan’s legal system has been improved in response to the new influenza, and that the national and local governments have prepared to a certain extent.
It’s true that they weren’t prepared for it, but it would have been more serious without the new flu.
If you look at the facts, Japan is one of the most developed countries with very few deaths and serious injuries due to the new coronavirus. In addition, many people are following the declaration of an emergency with less penalties than in other countries, and they are not perfect, but they are giving sufficient results.
In this emergency, there are increasing voices expecting to invoke the power, such as “Penalty!” And “Prohibit rather than request self-restraint!”
Based on the bitter experience of the Pacific War, our country has built various legal systems in response to the urgent desire of the people to be cautious about invoking strong power by political power. Don’t forget its history.
However, we can’t say that when it really becomes an explosive infection. I think it is natural to fully discuss the legal system that will be activated in such extreme situations.
However, considering the current situation of infection and the national character of Japan, it can be said that the restrictive actions of this emergency declaration were appropriate.
Quoted from Chiba City
Mayor Kumagai complained to some media who were overwhelmed by anxiety.
“The person who does not refrain from self-control” that was interviewed on the information program is often talked about on the Internet, and it is bashed with strong words such as “a criminal” and “report your real name”.
Mayor Kumagai developed his theory on the news of such anger.
The background of this dissatisfaction is also due to the fact that the news media do not report the national character that many citizens are self-restraint, and the attitude of reporting hard to some unprotected people. It’s similar to the coverage of the adult ceremony.
The adult ceremonies are behaving well for many new adults, but the media seek out young people and consume them as material. It is an annual tradition that the adults of the world look at the behavior of such young people and criticize that “young people can’t be helped” and soak up the sense of superiority.
The same applies to reports that do not protect themselves. Because many people in the world are self-restraint, those who do not keep self-restraint can feel the feeling of guilt, feel free to hit them, be immersed in a sense of superiority, and have a deep sense of empathy. The psychology is used by the media, and it is used as content that can earn audience ratings and access numbers.
From psychology, no matter how much you report people who do not protect themselves, those who do not protect themselves will not stop their actions. Rather, it provokes the psychology that “it seems to be stupid to protect” “I also have people who do not protect it”, rather than reporting people who are self-restraint, along with the data “I am protecting everyone” The more you report, the better.
Unfortunately, the press is almost self-restraint in the state of emergency. I take my TV camera with me wherever I am, and I am freely collecting data. The salary will not decrease, the number of people at home will increase, and the audience rating will rise.
I’m not saying it’s bad. From a standpoint and structure, we stand on the side of “no problem even if this crisis continues”.
The attitude of the press is questioned, and above all, we, the recipients, are questioned.
Quoted from Chiba City
Reporting about “people who are not self-restraint” will not only have a positive effect on society, but rather may have an adverse effect on people’s anger or increase in the number of people who stop self-restraint. It’s called.
Mayor Kumagai raised questions about how the news media sent information and how the viewers received information.
The message of Mayor Kumagai became a hot topic on the Internet, and some people said that “non-Chiba citizens should read it.”
・ Thank you very much! I read the message of the Mayor of Chiba and felt refreshed.
・ I think that programs that report too negative topics or criticism are anxious.
・ Very concise and easy-to-read sentences. I want you to report this on TV.
Many people wonder if they are looking for the right information, such as data or remedies.
- Tags
- biased, chiba, Corona, COVID-19, impartial, media, Narita Airport, Tokyo Disney Land, unfair
