A thoroughly informative, up-to-the-minute report describing the ongoing battle to limit damage at Japan's Fukushima nuclear power plant. Particularly interesting was the very clear description of the route by which radioactive water is escaping from the containment vessels; apparently graphite plugs that would normally seal holes in the bottom of the reactors have been damaged by excess heat and debris. Highly radioactive water is leaking from the poorly sealed holes into the containment vessels, which have themselves been damaged by explosions.

This is good journalism for several reasons. The writing is very good (although I wouldn't expect any less from The Post) and the story is factual and well-sourced, with information and opinions from a diverse group of people. Harlan and Vastag effectively used the material gleaned from these sources to illustrate the angle of the story without including their own bias/opinions. Overall, a well-written and sourced story conveying information in need of exposure.

It's a good piece since it plays up the problems at the Japanese nuclear plant with effective language, easily understandable.

This story is extremely informative and a well written piece about the situation in Japan. The facts and figures presented are being gravely missed by other publications and TV news.

Detailed and sufficient description of what is happening in the nuclear reactor. It was a current news and would attract lots of readers who were interested in the situation in Japan.