Informational autonomy in Nuclear Communication: analysis of current legislation

La autonomía informativa en Comunicación Nuclear: análisis de la legislación vigente

doxa.comunicación | 31, pp. 153-166 | 153

July-December of 2020

ISSN: 1696-019X / e-ISSN: 2386-3978

How to cite this article:

Cobos Urbina, E. (2020). Informational autonomy in Nuclear Communication: analysis of current legislation. Doxa Comunicación, 31, pp. 153-166.

https://doi.org/10.31921/doxacom.n31a7

Enrique Cobos Urbina. A graduate in Audio-visual Communication from the Universidad de Navarra (2004), with a Master’s in Radio from the Universidad CEU San Pablo (2006), a Master’s in Institutional and Business Communication Management from the Universidad Autónoma de Barcelona (2012) and a Doctorate in Journalism from this same university (2018). Author of several publications on communication, his research has focused on strategic communication in sectors of risk, principally the nuclear sector. He has worked for various media organizations in Spain and is currently in charge of communication at the Science Museum and the School of Sciences at the Universidad de Navarra. Furthermore, he is a researcher at the Institute of Research into Biodiversity & the Environment (BIOMA) at the Universidad de Navarra and Professor of Environmental Communication and Written Expression at this same institution.

Instituto de Biodiversidad y Medioambiente. University of Navarra, Spain

[email protected]

ORCID: 0000-0002-6556-0127

Abstract:

Public opinion in Spain has historically been opposed to nuclear energy. The atomic sector points to a lack of information and awareness among the population as the main causes of this rejection. Bridges between public opinion and the atomic industry must be built with transparent information by those authorities with a responsibility to inform (be they the government, the regulatory body, or a nuclear power plant) so that citizens are protected in case of unforeseen events, and to ensure they understand the advantages and disadvantages of this energy source. In this sense, the legislation on Nuclear Communication considers transparency to be the fundamental basis for this interaction with society. In this article we review the international, European and national regulations to have a clear idea of the projection and influence that this regulation has on the communication management of these industries.

Keywords:

Transparency; nuclear legislation; Nuclear Communication; nu-clear energy; nuclear power plant.

Resumen:

La opinión pública en España se ha posicionado históricamente en contra de la energía nuclear. El sector atómico señala la falta de información y el desconocimiento de la población como las causas principales de ese rechazo. El puente que une a la opinión pública y a la industria atómica debe trazarse con información transpa-rente por parte de la autoridad responsable de informar (ya sea el Gobierno, el organismo regulador, o una central nuclear) para que los ciudadanos estén protegidos en caso de sucesos imprevistos, y para que puedan comprender las ventajas e inconvenientes de esta fuente de energía. En este sentido, la legislación en materia de Co-municación Nuclear contempla la transparencia como la base fun-damental para esa interacción con la sociedad. En este artículo se revisa la normativa internacional, europea y nacional para conocer la proyección e influencia que la regulación tiene en la gestión de la comunicación de estas industrias.

Palabras clave:

Transparencia; legislación nuclear; Comunicación Nuclear; energía nuclear; central nuclear.

Received: 30/04/2020 - Accepted: 16/11/2020

Recibido: 30/04/2020 - Aceptado: 16/11/2020