"...why is the news so damned quiet about all this?"

The 'news'...meaning mainstream media... is seeing what we see- many conflicting reports and opinions about what actually IS happening, as well as the significance and likely outcomes.
They have been roundly criticized in the past for jumping on ONE opinion and getting it wrong. Plus, so many people rely only on CNN or BBC or Fox...etc, that they could cause widespread confusion & panic if they say too much.
   I am seeing 'almost' all the guesses and possibilities at least mentioned on the news.
One of the most seemingly credible persons... a nuclear engineer... said that, in his opinion, even a 'meltdown' in THIS plant, given the conditions, while serious, would NOT breach the containment vessel and would not create a widespread radiation hazard.

So... I tune in every now & then to see if that has changed. So far, it hasn't. I simply cannot take constant dwelling on it.