"U.S. Breaks With Japan Over Power Plant Warnings"

"WASHINGTON -- The United States showed increasing alarm about Japan's nuclear crisis on Wednesday and urged its citizens to stay clear of an earthquake-crippled power plant, going further in its warnings than Japan itself.

The State Department said the United States has chartered aircraft to help Americans leave Japan and had authorized the voluntary departure of family members of diplomatic staff in Tokyo, Nagoya and Yokohama -- about 600 people.

'The State Department strongly urges U.S. citizens to defer travel to Japan at this time and those in Japan should consider departing,' it said."

Jeff Mason and Tom Doggett report for Reuters March 17, 2011.

Confusion and lack of information about actual radiation levels in particular places and their risks persisted March 17 -- resulting in many diverging takes on the story in the news media.

SEE ALSO:

"High Radiation Severely Hinders Emergency Work to Cool Japanese Plant" (New York Times)

Graphic: "Evacuation Zone around Nuclear Plant" (New York Times)

"Radiation By The Numbers: Isotopes To Watch" (NPR)

"Radiation A Concern For Plant Workers, Not Others" (NPR)

"Tokyo Area Radiation Around Typical Background Levels - City Government " (Wall St. Journal)

"Reactor Type, Weather Affect Radiation Risk" (Wall St. Journal)

"Japan's Nuclear Crisis: United States Safe From Radiation, Say Engineers" (ABC News)

"RadNet Monitors Radiation in the Southland" (MSNBC)

"Feds Move More Radiation Monitors To West Coast" (CBS News)

"How Bad Is It? Depends On Which Nuclear Expert You Ask" (CNN)

"Alaska To Receive Three New Radiation Monitoring Units" (Anchorage Daily News)

"Officials in Alaska Say Fallout From Japan’S Nuclear Disaster Is Unlikely To Hit The State" (Fairbanks News-Miner)