More from Radio Rookies
Best Couple
(00:04:48)
From: Radio Rookies
When seniors at a small public high school in the Bronx cast their votes for "Best Couple" they chose a pair they admire but who definitely defy the stereotype of best couple.
Someone to Tuck Me In
(00:09:54)
From: Radio Rookies
Last year at a routine check-up, 15-year-old Raymond Henderson decided to tell the truth. When his doctor noticed bruises on his neck, Raymond admitted that his stepfather ...
Stuck
(00:08:55)
From: Radio Rookies
Kaddeem Wright enjoys reading philosophy and arguing with his friends about history and politics. With his smarts and innate curiosity about the world, Kaddeem seems like a ...
My Mother vs. The Streets
(00:08:20)
From: Radio Rookies
In the past, hanging out with boys has gotten Jacuyra into trouble. But as a 16-year-old who doesn't often think about the consequences of her actions, Jacuyra would love ...
I'm Not Emo
(00:09:08)
From: Radio Rookies
Like most of the kids in her school and on her block, 16-year-old Josetta Adams used to listen to hip-hop. But when she slipped into a depression, Josetta started listening ...
Read a Book
(00:09:24)
From: Radio Rookies
Keith Harris had a secret when he started school in the U.S. for the first time: he didn't know how to read and write.
Home Alone
(00:07:27)
From: Radio Rookies
Krystle loves her mom very much and she feels guilty about how hard her mom has worked to provide a good life for them, but Krystle sometimes wonders if all the work hours ...
My Mother's Disease
(00:09:37)
From: Radio Rookies
17-years-old Vikky Cruz struggles to cope with her mother's illness, a rare genetic disease called neuroacanthytosis, and the ways it's taken over the mother she once knew.
Money Stress
(00:09:17)
From: Radio Rookies
Rookie Reporter Erikka Diaz, like many of her neighbors in South Bronx, has lived in poverty her whole life. Her family knows well the anxiety that comes with constantly ...
Incarcerated Parents
(00:07:43)
From: Radio Rookies
15-year-old Keith Tingman remembers his tenth birthday better than any other birthday before or since. That was the day he watched his mom get arrested.
Related Pieces
Piece Description
Rookie Reporter Irina was born in Belarus 6 years after the Chernobyl disaster. Belarus bore the brunt of the radiation fallout and her family moved to the Bronx to escape the contamination. Now, Irina and her family attribute many of their health problems to the radiation. Their fears are common amongst people from the affected region, but according to experts are often unfounded. Irina always saw herself as a Chernobyl victim, but the more she learns about the effects of the nuclear radiation, the less she sees herself as one of those victims.
2 Comments
|
Review of "The Chernobyl Disaster"Irina is a true storyteller. A native of Belarus born six years after the Chernobyl disaster, the best part about her piece is her frankness about her health problems. She doesn’t shy away from her feelings about the illness and her unique ability to add humor into potentially humorless conversations, made me feel like I was having a conversation with her also. Although there were a few spots where the voicing was a little hard to understand, overall it flowed very well. Through the audio of her interviews I was able to see more of Irina’s personality which was a great touch. Irina’s ability to tell her story about her illness and the journey she went on to find out more about it, is captivating because she takes the listener on the journey with her. She starts out with one scene and builds the rest of the story around other scenes which pull the listener in and make them feel a part of the search for the true cause of her health problems. This might be a great story to air on the 25th anniversary of the Chernobyl accident, April 26, 2011. |
Broadcast History
WNYC Morning Edition - October 7, 2009
Transcript
HOST INTRO: It's been almost 25 years since the Chernobyl nuclear power plant disaster. But some people from that part of the world still fear the radiation is poisoning them. Rookie Reporter Irina Sverzhanovskaya lives in the Bronx now, but she comes from Belarus, where more than 60 percent of the radiation landed. And even though she wasn't born until 6 years after the disaster, her family suspects Chernobyl made her ill.
(walking to the medicine cabinet)
NARRATION: It's my morning commute -- 5:45 AM from my room to the medicine cabinet.
(opening medicine cabinet)
NARRATION: I don't feel like walking!
IRINA: This is my first medicine.
NARRATION: I take a lot of pills.
IRINA: This is Entonise.
NARRATION: So many that I don't know all the names.
IRINA: This is Retex.
NARRATION: They're supposed to make my thyroid work so my hormones stay in balance.
IRINA: This is Supremondoph...
Read the full transcript
Additional Credits
Kaari Pitkin, Senior Producer
Sanda Htyte, Associate Producer
Marianne McCune, Editor
Related Website
Of 2 purchasers of this piece...
- 3 also bought:
The Birth of the Frito (00:07:19) - 3 also bought:
Saints and Indians (00:15:39) - 3 also bought:
Walking With My Father (00:10:09) - 3 also bought:
(I have not yet begun to rot) (00:07:05) - 2 also bought:
Route 66 (00:57:54)
jocelyn rivera
Posted on January 27, 2012 at 04:46 PM | Permalink
+)
i chose this piece because i was really interested in what chernobyl was because i feel like people really should be informed on certain topics like this instead of just judging people baised on what there outside apperance is i really liked how Irina who was born in Belarus stays close to her roots expecially at home i also like how she is trying to make a differance by creating an organization based on the chernobyl disaster. i cant exactly relate to Irina in the sense of me being affected by a disaster but i could relate to her based upon her trying to make a difference an raise awareness. overall i think that the piece was well put together and i liked how she added the phone calls with the doctors i think that she did a really good job