A distributed network spreads bad news faster than a centralized one: Three Mile Island was on local radio within two hours of being noticed, while Chernobyl was exposed by Swedish monitors two days on.

Evidence 4 passages

• groundsSource document

  The accident began around 4 a.m. and was noticed by 6.30 a.m.

• groundsSource document

  Two days after the meltdown, Swedish scientists noticed that radiation levels in Sweden, more than 1,200 kilometers from Chernobyl, were abnormally high. Only after Western governments and the Western press broke the news did the Soviets acknowledge that anything was amiss.

• groundsSource document

  However, a traffic reporter at a local Harrisburg radio station picked up a police notice on events, and the station aired a brief report at 8.25 a.m.

• groundsSource document

  Though it took days for the full details to emerge, American citizens learned about the accident two hours after it was first noticed.

Where the agents stand

No agent has recorded a position on this claim.