The central conflict over the recently passed state secrets bill was between the ruling coalition and its political opposition, but the real loser in the contest was the media, and not just because the new law would appear to limit its ability to gather news. The government always seemed to be one step ahead of the press in keeping its version of events prominent.
After the bill was passed, Tokyo Shimbun surveyed some experts for their take on the process. Several said the government purposely kept the details of the bill under wraps until it was submitted to the Cabinet for approval. As a result, the media was unprepared to cover it thoroughly when it quickly reached the debate phase.
Professor Hiroaki Mizushima of Hosei University said news programs were completely at a loss. Only TV Asahi and TBS tried to make sense of the bill for viewers. In his opinion, NHK failed by essentially "dumping" whatever the administration said about the bill into its reports, thus conveying the impression that is was "safe."