1. How does The China Syndrome present the business of TV news broadcasting? Who decides what is "news"? What stories are promoted? Why?

Kimberly Wells aspires to be "objective" in reporting the news. Is she successful?

Is objectivity in news reporting a good thing? Why or why not?

What does this movie suggest about investigative reporting? Can you compare it to the movie All the President's Men (1974)?

How does Jack Godell view TV news? Does his opinion change during the movie?

2. Throughout the film, the viewer is shown various types of news coverage, ranging from headline news to feature stories. From the examples presented in the movie, what kinds of stories seem to preoccupy the media in 1978, the year the film was made? How do these stories compare to news coverage today? What is different? What remains the same? Why?

3. The China Syndrome focuses on the nuclear power industry. According to the film, what are the advantages of nuclear power? What are the disadvantages? Have these advantages and disadvantages changed since the movie was made?

What aspects of nuclear power safety are not examined in the film?

4. Within the narrative of The China Syndrome, the viewer is introduced both to opponents and supporters of the nuclear power industry. Who are the opponents and how are they presented? Why do these people oppose nuclear power? Who are the supporters of nuclear power? Do you think each side is presented fairly?

Why was the movie so influential in creating citizen opposition to nuclear power?

5. According to the movie, what is the government's role in supervising the nuclear power industry? Is this system effective?

If the government proposed to open a nuclear power plant near your home, how would you respond? Why?

6. Reporter Kimberly Wells appears as a working woman of the 1970s. How does her job reflect the social and economic status of women of that time?

In what ways is her job a type of "woman's work"?

How do her co-workers regard her career?

How does her private life relate to her career? To what extent is Kimberly Wells's character an example of the "women's liberation" of the 1970s? Why or why not?

How does the film deal with sexuality in the workplace?

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