BP Now owns the Airspace Above the Spill, too - Bars Journalist from Flying Over It

[Donnachaidh]

http://www.treehugger.com/files/2010/05/bp-now-owns-airspace-above-spill-too.php

Stories about BP contractors working hand in glove with the Coast Guard and local police to prevent full coverage of the effects of the oil spill have been coming out for some time now--and don't seem to be going away. Newsweek reports that everyone from traditional and independent journalists and photojournalists to Jean-Michel Cousteau have been denied access--they've even go so far to establish no-fly zones.

Here's the latest (and to me one of the most infuriating examples):

The latest instance of denied press access comes from Belle Chasse, La.-based Southern Seaplane Inc., which was scheduled to take a New Orleans Times-Picayune photographer for a flyover on Tuesday afternoon, and says it was denied permission once BP officials learned that a member of the press would be on board.

"We are not at liberty to fly media, journalists, photographers, or scientists," the company said in a letter it sent on Tuesday to Sen. David Vitter (R-La.). "We strongly feel that the reason for this massive is that BP wants to control their exposure to the press."

You can justify limiting access on the ground over legitimate safety concerns, too many people causing interference with cleanup efforts, etc.; and the article does quote a photographer saying that the Coast Guard at times has been very helpful--indeed, if only indirectly I can second that; if it weren't for Coast Guard photos TreeHugger would be coming up short on imagery of the cleanup.


MORE at the link above --

[villager]

1. who the fuck is allowing BP to do this? Is the BP air force going to shoot the plane down!?

n/t

[WinkyDink]

3. Whom do you think? There IS only one entity: THE GOVT.

[villager]

10. well, yes. I suppose it was rhetorical. Ultimately, without the assent of our change-y, hopeful

...government, this couldn't be happening...

[valerief]

92. And BP owns the govt. nt

[dchill]

88. I think BP's air force is the same one...

that used to be OUR Air Force.

[earth mom]

102. That would be Obama who some around here are feeling sorry for.

:eyes:

:crazy:

[fascisthunter]

108. crazy and disconnected isn't it?

I wanted to puke when I saw that.

[Dr.Phool]

114. Where's all that openness and transparency?

There fucking ain't any, that's where.

[arcane1]

2. "or scientists"????

that's the last fucking straw! :grr:

[laughingliberal]

4. No excuse for this. WTF are they hiding? nt

[faceit]

85. THIS is what they are hiding. Must watch - THE most important video this week

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cDGAoU1H2gM&feature=player_embedded

[CoffeeCat]

99. I agree...

...and I was perplexed when BP supposedly gave us full, visual
access to the live feed of the oil leak.

They're covering up everything--controlling the media and not allowing
media, scientists or researchers into the gulf. That's pretty extreme.
Yet, they'll show us the real leak?

It never made sense.

We see what they want us to see. The want us to see that live-feed leak
for a reason. Most likely, that leak is not the main leak.

[HereSince1628]

5. It really doesn't sound right.

Even if efforts to skim and set boom are directed by aircraft, there is only a need to set limits on altitude to avoid interference.

This smells oily.

[hootinholler]

21. In fact they did...

From the FAA {link:tfr.faa.gov/save_pages/detail_0_2357.html|TFR] website:

Issue Date : May 26, 2010 at 1332 UTC
Location : .. GULF OF MEXICO OIL SPILL AND AFFECTED COASTLINE., United States
Beginning Date and Time : May 27, 2010 at 1100 UTC
Ending Date and Time : Until further notice
Reason for NOTAM : DUE TO THE NUMEROUS LOW LEVEL OPERATIONS ASSOCIATED WITH THE DEEPWATER HORIZON
Type : Hazards
Replaced NOTAM(s) : N/A

Airspace Definition:
Region bounded by:

Latitude: Longitude: FRD:
From: 29º05'00"N 90º40'00"W LEV258030.1
To: 30º00'00"N 89º00'00"W GPT169024.7
To: 30º00'00"N 87º00'00"W
To: 28º00'00"N 87º00'00"W PFN208149.6
To: 28º00'00"N 90º40'00"W LEV201076.3
Altitude: From the surface up to and including 3000 feet AGL
Effective Date(s):
From May 27, 2010 at 1100 UTC
Until further notice

-Hoot

[HereSince1628]

32. So as long as aircraft are above 3000ft, no problem?

I guess maybe there's no problem. 3000 ft is not going to hide anything for even an average telephoto lens, and the higher you fly, the more area of the ocean you can see.

[BelgianMadCow]

115. hence the aerial photographs a couple days ago from a commercial airliner

which would be over 3000 feet.

The pictures were much more telling than what I had seen before - especially compared to all the diagram things.

on edit: and linked again downthread: http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=389&topic_id=8432662&mesg_id=8439801

[William Z. Foster]

6. sorry

The government does not have the equipment nor the expertise that BP has, so we must leave BP in total control of all aspects of this.

Or at least that is what many Democrats right here are telling us.

[HughMoran]

49. bs

total snark

[Walk away]

7. Can you imagine the pandemonium? This isn't Michael Jackson's funeral.

And what actual, real news will they see flying over the water? The "news" media are a bunch of ass holes anyway. This is just a bunch of idiots who want to exhort the President to be "tougher on BP". Can't they do that sitting in front of their computers?

As soon as something else happens they will fly away to the next problem and this one will still exist.

[awoke_in_2003]

95. "And what actual, real news will they see flying over the water?"

I don't know, maybe to what extent BP is lying to us? Oh, but of course, a benevolent corporation like BP would never do that :sarcasm:

[Catherina]

8. Criminals controlling the crime scene. With whose permission?

U.S. Geological Survey Director Dr. Marcia McNutt is the leader of a team put together to try to figure out how much oil is coming from the well.

She says results are preliminary but two teams using different methods determined the well is leaking at least 504,000 gallons a day. One team said it might be leaking as much as 798,000 gallons and another said that number might be closer to a million gallons.

http://www.commondreams.org/headline/2010/05/27-2

Considering the fine is $4300 for each barrel and we're on day 38 now, that's an awful lot of money they owe the people of the United States.

Quick. Destroy the evidence.

[WeDidIt]

9. Have you got a corroborating source?

I've never seen this site and need corroboration before I accept it.

[HCE SuiGeneris]

12. Have you a source contradicting what was offered in the article?

This was there at the blog... http://www.newsweek.com/2010/05/26/the-missing-oil-spill-photos.html

[katzenjammers]

18. That is exactly the same content as the OP's link. Someone is plagiarizing someone here.

...

[WeDidIt]

33. Logical discourse FAIL

Asking me to prove a negative when I made no intial positive assertion is a fallacious argument.

Nothing about the air space over the spill being shut down at your link.

[Donnachaidh]

25. you really should read something before you go bashing it

would you like some salt for your foot? Up to the kneecap too... :eyes:

[WeDidIt]

34. I do not click on unknown sources.

Good way to get viruses, that.

So you admit there is no corroboration for this story and it can be rejected out of hand until it is corroborated by a legitimate source.

[Ignis]

38. Are you kidding?

Install WOT or something similar if you're afraid of browser-jacking attacks.

In this case, TreeHugger is a fairly well respected eco-blog.

[WeDidIt]

43. Sorry, I don't buy it as a valid source. Eco-blogs are not news organizations.

I need a mainstream source or I reject it.

[Ignis]

44. That has nothing to do with clicking on an unknown link.

Your story is shifting. :shrug:

[WeDidIt]

46. Dude

I can read "treehugger" in the URL.

I ain't clicking it as it is unknown. You said it's an EcoBlog. IT's not a news URL. I would have recognized that.

Give me a valid source or it's just more bullshit being spewed.

[Ignis]

51. My attempts to a) help with your browser security ...

... and b) help you understand the place of TreeHugger.com in the blogosphere don't mean that I'm touting the latter as a MSM source.

Less prickly next time, perhaps?

[WeDidIt]

55. a) there is no such thing as browser security

b) No blog is a valid source.

Give me a valid source, that's all I ask

[Ignis]

56. Er, ok...I'll just back away slowly now.

There's no such thing as the Easter Bunny. Browser security, on the other hand, is a very real, very big deal in the era of prevalent phishing attacks.

Again, you can use add-ons like WOT and NoScript to assist in securing your browser from hijack attempts. Or you can simply try to avoid taking any security precautions other than clicking on unknown links, but that leaves you vulnerable to copycat, misspelled URLS.

But don't take my word for it. :shrug:

As for MSM sources for the top kill failure, check LBN; the story's been posted there with MSM links several times in the past few hours.

[Donnachaidh]

58. :eyes:

:silly:

[WillyT]

64. Here... From Newsweek...

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

:shrug:

[laughingliberal]

71. :crickets: nt

[WillyT]

81. Hey, I Complied With His Request...

:evilgrin:

:hi:

[jgraz]

79. What is this "newsweek" you speak of? I'm afraid it will puncture my "blinder security".

:rofl:

[WillyT]

80. LOL !!!

:rofl:

:hi:

[suffragette]

94. Damn - coffee > monitor >splatter

:spray:

[laughingliberal]

103. Me too! That was hilarious! eom

[suffragette]

107. Didn't realize how much I needed a giggle

until I had that one.

[awoke_in_2003]

96. I wish we still

had the DUzy Awards

[TheWatcher]

120. We should have the DUnce Awards.

And give the honor of the Lifetime Achievement Award automatically to him.

"Only MSM is Reality. Everything else is a made up, fabricated lie."

:rofl:

[jgraz]

123. We do.

They're made of granite and shaped like a pizza.

[Ignis]

121. a) there is no such thing as blinder security

b) Nothing that contradicts my views is a valid source.

Give me data that supports the conclusions I've already reached, that's all I ask.

:hide:

[Forkboy]

101. And he slinks away.....

[TheWatcher]

119. He ALWAYS slinks away then he has to go off script.

"I only rely on Mainstream Media Sources."

Would that be the same "Mainstream Media" that facilitated Bush and his Criminal Enterprise for eight years?

Oh, that is just the UNDAUNTED Path to enlightenment.

:rofl:

[TheWatcher]

118. Is Newsweek mainstream enough for you?

See Post #64

Everyday you get more and more obvious.

You. Are. Not. Fooling. ANYONE.


Get a different line of work, kid.

It's obvious you suck at this one.

[Cali_Democrat]

37. Same here

I don;t doubt the article, but I too would like to see a corroborating source.

[WeDidIt]

40. Yep, nobody would believe it on other sites coming from that source.

Just a nice corroborating source would help.

[laughingliberal]

72. post #64. Newsweek ran the story, too. nt

[conscious evolution]

45. Link to FAA NOTAM

http://tfr.faa.gov/save_pages/detail_0_2357.html

This is as official as it gets.This is the FAAs site listing all official Notices to Airmen.

[WeDidIt]

48. So the suppositions on the Eco-Blog were false

Issue Date : May 26, 2010 at 1332 UTC
Location : .. GULF OF MEXICO OIL SPILL AND AFFECTED COASTLINE., United States
Beginning Date and Time : May 27, 2010 at 1100 UTC
Ending Date and Time : Until further notice
Reason for NOTAM : DUE TO THE NUMEROUS LOW LEVEL OPERATIONS ASSOCIATED WITH THE DEEPWATER HORIZON
Type : Hazards
Replaced NOTAM(s) : N/A

They've restricted airspace to allow unhindered flights by those working the oil spill.

Treehugger is blowing bullshit according to the FAA.

Thank you.

[conscious evolution]

53. Could you explain how

press flights are disrupting operations that are ocurring 5000 feet below sea level?

[WeDidIt]

54. There are flights by the parties involved in the cleanup over the area

This would include Coast Guard and oil industry flights assess the situation to understand how best to resppond.

Quite frankly, that takes precedence over any private flight in my mind.

[laughingliberal]

73. Guess Newsweek is blowing bullshit, too. post #64 has the link. nt

[BelgianMadCow]

116. the people on theoildrum.com gave this simmons & hist theories no credibility whatsoever

just sharing that for what it's worth - theoildrum isn't a news organization either ofc

[katzenjammers]

11. That's just not even close to true. BP can't do that, only the FAA or DOD can and they have

here is the text of the applicable NOTAM.

!FDC 0/2357 ZJX US.. FLIGHT RESTRICTION. .. GULF OF MEXICO OIL SPILL AND
AFFECTED COASTLINE., US. EFFECTIVE 1005271100 UTC UNTIL FURTHER NOTICE. PURSUANT
TO 14 CFR SECTION 91.137(A)(1), TEMPORARY FLIGHT RESTRICTIONS ARE IN EFFECT DUE
TO THE NUMEROUS LOW LEVEL OPERATIONS ASSOCIATED WITH THE DEEPWATER HORIZON,
WITHIN AN AREA BOUNDED BY THE FOLLOWING COORDINATES: 290500N/0904000W OR THE
LEEVILLE /LEV/ VORTAC 258 DEGREE RADIAL AT 30.1 NM TO 300000N/0890000W OR THE
GULFPORT /GPT/ VORTAC 169 DEGREE RADIAL AT 24.7 NM TO 300000N/0870000W TO
280000N/0870000W OR THE PANAMA CITY /PFN/ VORTAC 208 DEGREE RADIAL AT 149.6 NM
TO THE POINT OF BEGINNING AT AND BELOW 3000 FT AGL

It's to enhance safety and news aircraft are just a nuisance. Anyone with a demonstrated legitimate NEED to fly there can do so.

[FiveGoodMen]

14. "news aircraft are just a nuisance"

Not like we have any right to know what's going on...

[katzenjammers]

20. Please tell me you're kidding.

Do you think every moron with a camera and 500 bucks to hire a plane has a "right" to fly over any disaster scene he might want to?

jesuzfuckingchrist...

[FiveGoodMen]

27. You think America should just take BP's word for it?

[Name removed]

28. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[Name removed]

30. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[conscious evolution]

47. Ever hear of a little law

called the FIRST AMENDMENT?!?!?!?!?!

[Ignis]

52. "It's just a goddamned piece of paper!"

http://www.capitolhillblue.com/artman/publish/article_7779.shtml

[Marr]

89. ... yes.

You don't? What an odd thing to say.

[laughingliberal]

70. Well, that business of the people's right to know has always been a little pesky.

:sarcasm:

[Canuckistanian]

39. Really? There's a NOTAM for flights over the Gulf?

We're not talking about the airspace over NYC during an emergency here.

I would question that FAA decision.

[ProgressiveProfessor]

61. Per prior post its only 3000ft and below. Not much of a limit...

the media can still get pictures etc

[Canuckistanian]

63. Oops, never noticed the alt requirement

In that case, it's reasonable.

[blindpig]

86. An informed public IS a 'demonstrated legitimate need.

This in information management on behalf of capitalism.

[laughingliberal]

106. +1000 nt

[Lorien]

13. Why is BP suddenly in control of our Country?

I've never seen so much collusion between government and a privately held corporation. The media and the people need to demand "WHY?"

[FiveGoodMen]

15. The key word there may be "suddenly"

Maybe the fact that they aren't pretending anymore is the "sudden" part.

[Bluebear]

23. + + + + + + +

[CountAllVotes]

16. what the hell

it is bad enough the way they have treated our land and our citizens. Now they must control the air space as well? :wtf:

Time to throw these criminals out of America once and for all!

:kick:

[FiveGoodMen]

17. "Time to throw these criminals out of America once and for all"

We have to get rid of their bought-and-paid-for politicians first.

[CountAllVotes]

22. lock 'em all up!!

fine with me!!

:kick:

[izquierdista]

19. BP and North Korea

The only pictures that come out are from satellites.

[kittykitty]

24. Is the Deepwater in international waters? Or waters part of the USA?

Has this been legally challenged yet?

[Gin]

117. I wondered about the international water issue also..

[dana_b]

26. they "own" the air? Who did they buy it from?

Who the fuck are they to decide that the air is a no-fly zone? assholes!

[Name removed]

29. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[Dappleganger]

35. Same people who sold them the beaches. nt

[Sheltiemama]

31. I'm a journalist, and that infuriates me.

BP does not own the ocean nor the air above it. And if the government is letting BP do this, shame on the government.

[mzteris]

36. There's a REASON for that! and it's not BP

"There's not much the media loves more than a good disaster, especially when it comes with images of vulnerable animals covered in oil. But to get those heart-wrenching photos, sometimes you have to make a few sacrifices ... like the vulnerable animals. Where the oil hasn't hit widlife yet, the media has.

The Deepwater Horizon Unified Command had to put out a release last week reminding media that it's illegal to land aircraft on wildlife refuges. The federal regulation prohibits flying anything from helicopters to hang gliders at an altitude that disturbs wildlife, or performing unauthorized landings or take-offs on a national wildlife refuge, except in an emergency. Getting the perfect shot of the oil slick doesn't qualify as an emergency.

Apparently the media's new favorite fly-over spot and landing pad is Breton National Wildlife Refuge's Chandeleur Islands, a system of coastal islands near Louisiana where several threatened and endangered species of birds are in their nesting season. When aircraft, even the small ones, get too close, it can frighten the birds away from their nests, exposing the eggs to predators. The disturbance may also cause the birds to abandon their nests completely.

The refuge has been temporarily closed to the public so that officials can assess the damage from the oil spill and help injured or oiled wildlife. Just a few days before Unified Command's press release on aircraft, the second oiled bird was found, a young male pelican rescued in Breton Sound. . . "

-more-

http://animals.change.org/blog/view/oil_spill_wildlife_...

[Canuckistanian]

42. "The Deepwater Horizon Unified Command"?

Well, then, that sounds official. We'd better obey them.

[mzteris]

60. you should -

A Unified Command has been established to manage response operations to the April 20, 2010 “Deepwater Horizon” incident. A Unified Command links the organizations responding to an incident and provides a forum for those organizations to make consensus decisions. This site is maintained by the Unified Command’s Joint Information Center (JIC), which provides the public with reliable, timely information about the response.

The names and websites for agencies and organizations involved in the Unified Command are provided below.

http://www.deepwaterhorizonresponse.com/go/doc/2931/541571


I hope I don't have to explain to you that even though there are non-government agencies "in the group" - they are not the ones enforcing regulations - that would be all those government agencies you see listed.

They're working TOGETHER - you know - sharing information, coordinating efforts, keeping each other apprised of what is going on in their "area". . .



Don't you care about the wildlife??

[Canuckistanian]

62. I'm just nervous about the name

I'm sure I'll get over it.

[FiveGoodMen]

105. there are non-government agencies "in the group"

What are the governmental agencies in the group?

Didn't see that on the linked page.

[arbusto_baboso]

41. Fuck 'em. How are they gonna enforce it?

Is the USAF gonna do that? Really? They wouldn't scramble on 9/11, but they will to cover BPs ass? Oh, there would be hell to pay...

[Nikki Stone1]

50. I think yes.

And we won't hear about it.

[MajorChode]

75. Pretty much how the FAA enforces all the rest of its TFRs

Any pilot who flies into a TFR without approval gets a free sit down chat with the FAA to discuss their future (or perhaps lack thereof) in aviation to be followed by an enforcement action (which any pilot will tell you sucks very hard). It's pretty routine.

[arbusto_baboso]

78. But much of it is INTERNATIONAL AIRSPACE.

Why the fuck would the FAA even have jurisdiction over it?

[MajorChode]

91. Because someone has to do it

It's not as if Cuba is going to do it.

The US has control over a lot of international airspace per ICAO (essentially NATO) agreements, just as other countries do well outside their territorial airspace.

[amborin]

57. K&R

[Donnachaidh]

59. THIS may be why they want to keep cameras away

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cDGAoU1H2gM

[HCE SuiGeneris]

65. Major Recommendation. This needs its own OP.

:kick:

[chill_wind]

68. A lot of interesting discussion in there. n/t

[laughingliberal]

104. Pozzi's the guy who cleaned the 800 million gallon Aramco spill in Saudi in 1993.

Can't get BP to return his calls offering help.

It's well within the realm of possibilities this is exactly what they're covering up.

And his assessment of what they need to be doing to suck the plumes out is spot on.

[TacticalPeek]

66. What a fine mess this country has become.

The way is lost.

[Rex]

67. They don't want anyone seeing the 'hole in the bottom of the sea'.

Google it if you are confused, thanks.

[Swamp Rat]

69. All the helos I saw today in Venice were on the ground.

I heard one running, but it was not in the air.

[Rex]

74. Unregulated capitalism means never having to say

you are sorry, never paying for crimes against humanity, never worrying about your livelihood because you are a incorporation and can HIDE behind the local government, I could go on...

[suffragette]

122. Hey, Swamp

Sounds like you're out and about a bit.
Did you get your safety equipment yet?

[MajorChode]

76. Here's why this story is pretty much worthless

Clearly this story is either gross ignorance or clear duplicity in an effort to create something newsworthy.

Temporary Flight Restrictions (TFRs) are extremely routine. Check the FAA's web site and you'll find dozens of them all over the country. Their purpose is to temporarily limit traffic over a given area for various reasons. The FAA issues these all the time for all sorts of reasons, but primarily to keep the rubberneckers (which includes the media) the fuck clear of the area when there is a high level of interest in some type of disaster or emergency. In this case it's a damn good reason and perhaps one of the best examples of why there should be TFRs in the first place. Even without the spill there is a very high amount of air traffic in the gulf, especially in that particular area where there are hundreds of oil platforms. With the spill the traffic associated with aircraft that have a role to play in the spill is enormous and I'm sure flying there is dicey even without the media flying around trying to take pictures.

Keep in mind the people who want to take these pictures are selling them for big $$$$ and have a huge profit motive to mislead the public as well, and this story is an excellent example. If they want pictures, climb above the TFR and use a friggin zoom lens. Otherwise stay the fuck out of the way of people who are actually working to fix the problem. How hard is that? Geez.

[tammywammy]

83. +1 n/t

[S n o w b a l l]

100. Thank you.

It was posted upthread last night that it was only restricted below 3000 ft, but no one bothers to read anything beyond the headlines.

[Maru Kitteh]

77. K&R

[gulfcoastliberal]

82. K&R... Welcome to the united states of facism. Of by & for the corporations. nt

[dchill]

90. FOREIGN corporations at that. nt

[MyNameGoesHere]

84. this is false, Obama told us the fed was in charge.

So that being the case the admin are the ones blocking it.

[blindpig]

87. Speaks volumes about who is boss. n/t

[Gman]

93. Money talks

it can buy a lot of things including barring the press. The question is how much are local governments being paid and who is collecting it. The hard part is the local governments. The easy part is buying off businesses like aviation companies and anyone else out to make a buck off this.

[BanzaiBonnie]

97. How? can this be?

[suffragette]

98. Key part is "once BP officials learned that a member of the press would be on board".

They are purposefully restricting access by the press and, therefore, access of the public to this information.

And this is a pattern.

From Newsweek:

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

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.”

The problem, as many members of the press see it, is that even when access is granted, it’s done so under the strict oversight of BP and Coast Guard personnel. Reporters and photographers are escorted by BP officials on BP-contracted boats and aircraft. So the company is able to determine what reporters see and when they see it. AP photographer Gerald Herbert has been covering the disaster since the Deepwater Horizon rig exploded on April 20. He says that access has been hit or miss, and that there have been instances when it’s obvious members of the press are being targeted. “There are times when the Coast Guard has been great, and others where it seems like they’re interfering with our ability to have access,” says Herbert. One of those instances occurred early last week, when Herbert accompanied local officials from Plaquemines Parish in a police boat on a trip to Breton Island, a national wildlife refuge off the barrier islands of Louisiana. With them was Jean-Michel Cousteau, son of Jacques, who wanted to study the impact of the oil below the surface of the water. Upon approaching the island, a Coast Guard boat stopped them. “The first question was, ‘Is there any press with you?’ ” says Herbert. They answered yes, and the Coast Guard said they couldn’t be there. “I had to bite my tongue. That should have no bearing.”

Consistent with this:
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=389&topic_id=8407170

and this:
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=389&topic_id=8406694

http://www.bellona.org/articles/articles_2010/bp_info_blackout
At the community centre, representatives of American’s Small Business Administration explain the terms of 30 year loans to motel owners, restaurateurs, and fishermen who will take the financial brunt of the Deepwater Horizion blowout, while a BP representative sits behind her table with a taciturn look, staring out at the beautiful day beyond the fluorescent lights and air conditioning of the lobby.

But she stirs truculently when approached by a reporter asking exactly what sort of information she has been giving out. “I can’t tell you,” she says. But the reporter has heard from BP higher ups that they have everything under control. Can’t she just confirm that?

“I can’t confirm anything. I have no comment,” she says, her voice rising. She stands and walks away from her table. Moments later she reappears with a police officer who asks Bellona Web to leave the building. The officer says to talk to area BP PR chief Guy Rozas, who can be found at town hall.


BP’s empty desk as information officer fetches police


Each time, once a person is identified as a press member, BP restricts access to information.

[harkadog]

109. We should put BP in charge of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan

Then we won't have to hear any bad news from there either.

[Dem2theMax]

110. They can't stop NASA from flying over it.

NASA TV has been showing updated photos of the oil spill. They are very nicely pointing out how to tell the difference between the oil spill and uncontaminated water. The photos are jaw-dropping. Sickeningly jaw-dropping.

[drm604]

113. Link to page with NASA photos:

http://www.nasa.gov/topics/earth/features/oilspill/index.html

[Blue Owl]

111. BP = Government

Who do you think owns us?

That's why BP is too big to fail.

[drm604]

112. Photo of gulf from a commercial airliner.

They're mistaken if they think they can hide photos like this.
http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?pid=211901&id=117367724952909&ref=mf