US coast guards harass journalists covering BP's oil spill disaster

[Judi Lynn]

Source: Guardian

US coast guards harass journalists covering BP's oil spill disaster
Roy Greenslade Friday 28 May 2010 09.19 BST
guardian.co.uk

News photographers and TV camera crews are claiming that they are being prevented from reporting on the BP oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico.

They complain that US federal and local officials, including coast guards, are blocking access to beaches where the effects of the spill are most visible.

A CBS TV crew was threatened with arrest when attempting to film an oil-covered beach last week. On Saturday, reporter Mac McClelland was blocked by police from visiting an island in Louisiana.

On Tuesday, a photographer with the New Orleans Times-Picayune was prevented from flying over the ocean after the plane company was issued with a temporary flight restriction after BP officials learned that a member of the press would be on board.


Read more: http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/greenslade/2010/may/28/oil-spills-press-freedom

[dipsydoodle]

1. Ah ! So its the Coast Guard now is it.

Reports on this issue late yesterday implied it was BP blocking the journalists which I though sounded odd.

[backtomn]

36. Remind which country this is..........

I hear that the administration is supporting BP with threats of arrest when reporters try to look at the rig or at messed up shorelines. Only reports led by BP personnel are permitted. Feel free to criticize me for being hyperbolic, but this might be worse than Bush. This is nuts.

[orbitalman]

2. Complain, complain, complain

They complain that US federal and local officials, including coast guards, are blocking access to beaches where the effects of the spill are most visible. And I'll bet they're in the way and distracting to the surveying and clean-up at hand. Like the papparazzi, they're feeding.

[scentopine]

3. a photographer with the New Orleans Times-Picayune was prevented from flying over the ocean

On Tuesday, a photographer with the New Orleans Times-Picayune was prevented from flying over the ocean after the plane company was issued with a temporary flight restriction after BP officials learned that a member of the press would be on board.

It is amazing to me that any democrat would be in fovor of restricting media access to this event. Just stunning. It is fucking unbelievable.

What other part of the Bill of Rights do feel are quaint and out dated?

[icee]

4. Going to get much worse.

[hughee99]

5. At least if * was still president, we'd all be on the same page...

it surprises me the things some DUers will defend now that the government is under "new management".

[robbob]

21. The human mind is not logical

One of the most interesting things I've leaned in the last few years is that our minds do not work consistently when confronted with our various biases. I was reading about an experiment conducted around 2004 using the Kerry/Bush campaign as a stimulus to mind activity (sorry, I can't remember the name of the study).

Participants were screened according to political ideology and then hooked up to brain activity monitors. They were then asked to read articles from across the political spectrum regarding the two candidates. The interesting thing is, when the subjects read articles supportive of their candidate, or critical of the other candidate, the highest brain activity was in the logical side of the brain (the right side? can never keep it straight), but when they read articles critical of their guy or supportive of the other it was the emotional response which was triggered.

So if you were a Bush supporter and you were reading what we call right wing propaganda your logical mind is nodding along in agreement and noting the "logical" talking points, but if I stick an article critical of Bush in front of you, no matter how factual and well reasoned it may be, the emotional mind takes over and starts ranting and raving and denouncing it as lies.

We have all seen this kind of cognitive dissonance at work among the freeper set, but make no mistake (as Obama likes to put it); we are ALL susceptible to this built in brain bias. This study has really made me examine my own knee-jerk reactions to information that I come across. Whenever I read about some new policy that the Democratic party is putting into place I ask myself how I would feel about it if it had happened at the initiation of the Republican party during the Bush years.

Not to equate Bush and the rethugs to Obama and the Dems., just observing the way my brain biases work.

<edited for clarity>

[Kolesar]

14. Who declared martial law? ... eom

[nashville_brook]

40. well said. f'n amazing.

[Iowa]

42. Yep. We are in dangerous times...

Corporations control government and politicians are willing accomplices. We have been sold out - big time.

[Hissyspit]

22. Really?

You're trashing the concept of a free press because it might look bad on a Dem administration?

Really?

[backtomn]

37. Go on complaining......please

This is not a dictatorship or monarchy. I agree with you.....but even if I didn't, I would not take such a cavalier attitude about our right to speak out. Thanks, you took the words right out of my mouth.

[Hissyspit]

38. I don't get how trying to document the effects and extent of this disaster, which

Previously has not been getting enough coverage, translates into following Lindsay Lohan or Paris Hilton around. Sure, you can criticize the type and quality of coverage, but QUALITY coverage can't occur in a free society if those in power - corporate or governmental - get to decide what gets covered based on whichever corrupted whim they want to base it on ... as the Founders understood.

"Abuse of power comes as no surprise." - Jenny Holzer

[backtomn]

39. I agree wholeheartedly.......

Regardless of administration, we should able to say what we want and ask for accountability. I also agree that this should be nothing more than OBVIOUS.

Again, thanks.

[chill_wind]

53. Thank you Hissyspit.

:thumbsup:

[liberation]

58. Wow... so freedom of the press is a bad thing now...

it is hard to keep up with all these "changes"

[Goldstein1984]

6. The reason is damage control

Political damage control for the federal government.

Financial damage control for BP.

An informed public isn't good for either politicians or corporations, and in the United States the vast majority of politicians are just high-end prostitutes servicing corporations.

Reports over the past few days have shown that shore protection and on-water oil recovery have not been effective and have not even occurred in some areas. Reporters have gone diving to show evidence of the hidden oil in the water column. This isn't the kind of information that reflects well on either the federal government or BP.

Federal agencies responsible for this event are being investigated. BP is being investigated. BP contractors are being investigated. There are whistle-blowers willing to testify. The resignation/terminations of federal officials has begun. BP officials have invoked the 5th Amendment. But there's already plenty of evidence out there to support both civil and criminal cases. And as the damage grows in both magnitude and scope, it will be increasingly difficult for message/damage control.

Alaskans from communities and industries hurt by the Exxon Valdez Oil Spill are already in Louisiana advising citizen groups.

Recommended reading:
"The Spill: Personal Stories from the Exxon Valdez Disaster" by Sharon Bushell & Stan Jones
"Sound Truths and Corporate Myth$" by Riki Ott.

[gtar100]

10. Yep. And that's what our society has allowed to become the norm.

So many people in America now hide their self-centered, greedy, small-minded behaviour behind the words "It's just business". Our government now feels its most important task is to protect business from liabilities, or at least so it seems. And our media, at least the part with the biggest bull horn, is no different - first objective is to promote business.

So now here's an example of the need to report on the worst environmental disaster in our history and those who do want to report on it are getting push-back from both BP and our government. Doesn't surprise me but it's both sickening and enraging at the same time. They won't be able to hide this for long but rather than getting an honest look at the crisis, hiding the problem seems to be the first priority. Let's just hope our leaders don't tell us to go shopping, drive more, and take Gulf of Mexico vacations.

From our media, more than anything, we need the honest, non sugar-coated, truth. Otherwise, we lack the information we need to make the right decisions. Looks like real reporting will have to get creative.

[Juneboarder]

17. I'm young, so please help me here

Would this be a similar situation to what the muckrakers of the early 1900's were facing?

[Goldstein1984]

50. Yes, except we have mostly mucksuckers.

And we're fighting the same enemy as they were in the Gilded Age--Robber Barons.

The Robber Barons got smart this time around--they bought most of the media.

[laughingliberal]

52. Thanks for the dose of reality, as usual. Happy to hear about the Alaskans advising LA citizens. nt

[Wizard777]

7. So now we have the American military under the command of a foreign corporation.

This is all the stuff treason trials are made of. We The People need to regain control of our government.

[FLPanhandle]

8. All they had to do was pay-off Admiral Allen

After that, it's been easy for BP.

He runs interferance for them.
He parrots their numbers and stories.
He pretends they are doing a good job on the cleanup and protection.

Hell, that's money well spent.

[Kolesar]

13. oh, please spare us the hyperbole...eom

[lark]

26. Hello, that sounds more like truth than hyperbole

It may be inconvenient truth that this Admin. is not much more sane than the last one and that they too will obfusicate and cover up with the best of them, but face facts, it's true. The Admiral was saying top kill was working when in fact it had been shut down. He hyped the 5,000 barrels a day when he knew better, he prevented people from the press from going out to view the damage. He's saying there are all these efforts going on when multiple sources report seeing no other boats around, no remediation efforts.

There's a problem here and burying your head because Obama is President isn't going to make it any better.

[Raster]

9. Let me spell it out for you:

1. Irregardless of the "B", BP is a card-carrying member of the American Petroleum Mafia;
   
2. The American Military Machine, including the Coast Guard, is the number one customer for the Petroleum Mafia;
   
3. The Petroleum Mafia is the primary "sugar daddy" of the American national politician;
   
4. Just about EVERY politician at the national level has taken some type of funding from the Petroleum Mafia and/or the Military Machine; and
   
5. The American Military Machine, including the Coast Guard, is being increasingly used as the Mafia's own private mercenary army.

Control the media, control the message. And make no mistake, the last thing the Petroleum Mafia wants you to see is the death and destruction to the Gulf and it's coastlines.

The American environmental movement began in the late 1960's with an oil spill off of the California Coast at Santa Barbara. This current "spill":rofl: has the capacity to galvanize even the most apathetic of Americans.

[KansDem]

19. Thanks, Raster...

...for spelling out in clear terms what the rest of us merely suspected. :hi:

[Raster]

23. You are welcome, KansDem. None of the principal players in this environmental disaster want you or

me to actually see the disturbing images of the ecological damage being done. And unfortunately, BP, the White House and the Military Machine are all complicit.

The Petroleum Mafia and the Military Machine are symbiotic: they need each other to survive and to retain their power and control. And unfortunately the American government and the American citizen are at the mercy of both.

[FailureToCommunicate]

24. Right Raster. No oil no humvees, no tanks. 'National security' dictates that we leave BP alone

[conscious evolution]

33. +1

[riderinthestorm]

62. + 1000. Please consider making this an OP in GD. nt

[felinetta]

11. A cover-up may work for awhile, but this is too catastrophic to hide.

[backtomn]

41. You may be right, but.....

this might not be a "cover-up", but it is stupid politics. Maybe we can just admit that the government doesn't know much about deep well oil drilling. Just make sure that producers follow the rules and come down on them if they don't.

[laurel46]

12. Maybe a dash of conservatives harassing liberals?

Is the coast guard inflating the need for laws to be enforced?

I have been reading about the budget cuts in many cities and one thing is clear is that law enforcement, republican jobs, are not being cut but the jobs held by dems are, such as teachers. There is a lot of hostility and quite frankly I have stopped driving because police are "making up" reasons to arrest people. For instance, a woman who went up to a man who was lighting up a cig too close to a no smoking building and tried to stop him from using a match, then called the police when the guy cursed at her and slapped her hand away from his face. He was arrested for assault and had to post 25k bail. Virtually all stops are drug or alcohol related with, suspicious behavior leading police to search people. Trailer hitches obscuring license plates, and license plate with burnt out bulbs, weaving while driving, and the stupidest domestic arguing where yelling only is the reason for arrest. Oh, and the number of latinos targeted is shockingly high. Remember the police shot the african americans in new orleans.
The police cost 70% of what tax revenue are spent on and virtually none have been fired compared to dem jobs. Now isn't the coast guard filled with reserves and part time law enforcement and perceive the media as liberal? I am just bringing this up since it is obvious here in california that the police will escape the budget cuts but not the kids and poor. Where I live the dems and repubs were virtually alike and we joked about being democratic republicans, but know one would think we were cats and dogs.
Sorry if this is a bit off topic and I am blinded by anxiety, I don't think it's a complete explanation, but maybe a factor.

Thanks for listening DUers, don't know what I would do without this site.

[barbtries]

15. they can't do that

but they are. frustration.

[RedCloud]

16. This IS like Katrina in that we are not told about the death tolls

Back then it would be be W eating cake while thousands (mainly democrats died). And our media are like sheep.

This type of stuff is a real pisser. They kidnap the rig blast survivors and make them sign promises not to sue. Like 9/11 Bush took public donations and made them promise not to sue him.

[awoke_in_2003]

18. combine this with the Patriot Act...

and we may as well just take a lighter to the constitution. Constitutional law professor, indeed.

[Iowa]

43. +1

[Imagevision]

20. I thought only Bush & Cheney pulled these stunts?!!

[lark]

28. Wishful thinking!!

When Obama voted in favor of warrantless searches without FISA approval, he showed that at a basic level, he's not much different than the old guys. Obviously better than them, but not by a whole lot.

[backtomn]

35. I am not sure that I agree.......

We may be getting a bit more of what we want from Obama, but he got elected by us by saying that he was going to do more for us. At least with Bush, we knew where we stood.....nowhere. Obama is doing whatever he wants to do, no matter who supports him. He said clearly that he would get us out of Iraq if elected.....now, he's not so sure.....and that was just one of many issues. I guess we should have our heads examined for believing that he was with us......our fault.

[FailureToCommunicate]

25. Why BP's sudden interest in protecting the wildlife sanctuaries by restricting pesky

news people?

Yeah, all those heavy footed camera guys stomping all over our poor endangered birdie nests on the shoreline.

Reporters are destroying natural habitats!!

RIght.

Off with their heads! ...starting with Tony Howard's!

[Dappleganger]

27. Why is it always Democrats have to be the the ones to shine the light on coverups??

[truthisfreedom]

29. Hey BP, found a new logo for ya!

[bl968]

31. Eyes in the wrong place.

Put the x for the eye on the bottom of the image because the fish is floating upside down, dead...

[SpankMe]

30. Here's a link to the Newsweek story on this

http://www.newsweek.com/2010/05/26/the-missing-oil-spill-photos.html

I wrote the Whitehouse thru whitehouse.gov saying I objected to the government blocking press access in any way.

I thought "freedom of the press" was in the constitution?

[Judi Lynn]

44. Thank you, SpankMe. From your excellent link:

Since the flight restrictions were expanded on May 11, private aircraft must get permission from BP’s command center to fly over a huge portion of the Gulf of Mexico encompassing not just the growing slick in the Gulf, but the entire Louisiana coastline, where oil is washing ashore. If a request is denied, aircraft must stay 3,000 feet above the restricted area, where visibility is minimal.

Photographers who have traveled to the Gulf commonly say they believe that BP has exerted more control over coverage of the spill with the cooperation of the federal government and local law enforcement. “It’s a running joke among the journalists covering the story that the words ‘Coast Guard’ affixed to any vehicle, vessel, or plane should be prefixed with ‘BP,’ ” says Charlie Varley, a Louisiana-based photographer. “It would be funny if it were not so serious.”

[Sheltiemama]

48. I'm a journalist, and this horrifies me.

[Blue_Tires]

54. as a former journalist, i'm surprised some news organization hasn't

tried to sue for access...

I'm not sure how a private company can restrict U.S. airspace to begin with...

[SpankMe]

55. They cry "Safety and Security"

To the question of how a private company can restrict airspace: they can claim safety and security issues. They report to the government they're worried about vandalism or terrorism or interference with their own monitoring and clean up efforts at a disaster scene, and "request" that the air space be kept clear. The government often defers to this sort of thing because BP is considered the subject matter expert.

It's one of those "plausible rationale's" for committing an act (or in this case restricting access). Since it could, hypothetically, be a legitimate explanation (among many) that's the one they can hang their hat on and stick to.

Of course, we know it's a red herring. It's intended to mask bad publicity.

The government knows that the press is a special case who should be allowed access despite the danger - they let reporters in to war zones and volcano zones all the time. But, since they're in bed with the oil company they're enforcing the security rationale.

And, the spineless press won't sue.

Add to the fact that BP has hired all the fishermen to tow the spill booms around to scoop up the oil - at DOUBLE the pay fishermen would get fishing clean waters - and now you now can't even smuggle a press photographer on to a fishing vessel because the fishermen don't want to bite the hand that feeds them.

[gulfcoastliberal]

32. K&R... a tactic right out of the RW playbook... nt

[conscious evolution]

34. Kicking for exposure

[Vinnie From Indy]

45. Jesus H Christ! Has every American been neutered?

I would gladly tell the Coast Guard officer in charge to go fuck himslef or arrest me. If I had to, I would go to jail, get out and go right back to the beach and tell the same dumbass Coast Guard officer, "What the fuck are you doing here, I thought I told you to go fuck yourself."

In short, WE the people should start showing up in the beaches in droves with cameras and make them arrest us all.

[lovelyrita]

49. Shouldn't real journalists be doing this?

Get arrested and that is the story. Play it on every channel.

[customerserviceguy]

46. People here keep asking, "Well, what do you want the President to do??"

And my answer is, stop the Coast Guard from being BP's private navy.

[Raster]

47. Halle-fucking-Lujia!

Thank you!
:kick:

[Lorien]

56. That would be a good start but apparently, according to these same people

Obama is completely helpless and must rely on BP's expertise because they're the only people on the planet who know how to do gosh darn anything, even though even Obama no longer seems to believe that.

[customerserviceguy]

61. In the Gulf, at the leak site, that might be true

However, it has nothing to do with reporters on the shore, many miles away from the gusher.

[noamnety]

51. I asked about embedding reporters earlier

but it sank like a stone.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=389x8440098

[Waiting For Everyman]

57. Transparency? This is outrageous.

I hadn't seen this before posting a related thread:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=389x8442907#top

I'm even more shocked that the FAA has restricted Gulf airspace.

[BeFree]

59. kicking...

[IndianaGreen]

60. Corporations are the government!

The President and Congress are just a front to distract us from seeing who really is behind the curtain.