The Current State of Journalists—the Quest for Trusted Media [Vol.2] The Great East Japan Earthquake—Following the Tracks of Noriaki Tokuda, a Cameraperson Who Kept Walking Alongside the People in Affected Areas

This paper is a republication of the fourth and the fifth installments (Part 1 and Part 2 of an article featuring an NHK cameraperson) from a series of articles “Research Report: The Current State of Journalists—the Quest for Trusted Media” that have been posted on the website of the NHK Broadcasting Culture Research Institute since April 2023, with partial additions and corrections. The series presents how journalists in the field address the recipients’ (readers’/viewers’) distrust of journalism—mainly television and newspapers, or so-called “old media” as they acknowledge the existence of distrust. The paper focuses on Noriaki Tokuda, a cameraperson at the NHK Kamaishi bureau in the Tohoku region, who passed away about a year ago. The author investigated how he earned the deep trust of local people at the areas heavily hit by the Great East Japan Earthquake of 2011 and delivered broadcast programs and news reporting based on their trust. As a means of uncovering the process and characteristics of his achievements, statements from those whom Tokuda filmed and interviewed as well as his colleagues were collected. What the author found there was the importance of walking alongside local residents as a member of the community and facing issues from the same perspectives as theirs as one of the persons involved. This also implies a danger in mass-media reporters’ trying to see things from above the clouds with a bird’s eye view and generalizing them for reporting. As recipients’ distrust of media is growing now, the author hopes that this paper will serve as a reference for considering measures to sustain trust in journalism, by shedding a light anew on the importance of interacting with local people with the same perspectives as theirs as a person involved. Coinciding with the writing of this paper, the 2024 Noto Peninsula Earthquake occurred on January 1st this year, with a maximum intensity of 7 on the Japanese scale. The largest tsunami since the Great East Japan Earthquake hit cities, which claimed many lives due to collapsed buildings, mudslides, and fires. A large number of people in wider areas have lost their homes and have no choice but to live in evacuation centers in a bitter cold climate. As reporting activities continue in the region, how should journalists interact with the people in disaster-affected areas and what should be reported? The author’s hope is that the experiences and lessons learnt in the affected areas in Tohoku can be utilized in any way.