Crooks and Liars - BP's "Rules" Prevent Journalists From Touring Gulf Coast Damage

Crooks and Liars
Thursday May 20, 2010 12:51 am
BP's "Rules" Prevent Journalists From Touring Gulf Coast Damage
By Nicole Belle
h/t Bob Cesca

This is yet another in a long series of stunningly arrogant moves by BP:

When CBS tried to film a beach with heavy oil on the shore in South Pass, Louisiana, a boat of BP contractors, and two Coast Guard officers, told them to turn around, or be arrested.

"This is BP's rules, it's not ours," someone aboard the boat said. Coast Guard officials told CBS that they're looking into it.

As the Coast Guard is a branch of the Armed Forces, it brings into question how closely the government and BP are working together to keep details of the disaster in the dark.

Hold the phone...BP is making the rules???? Kind of hard to argue that we aren't a full-blown corporatocracy, when BP--that's British Petroleum--is leading the United States Coast Guard on this--and this is okay with a branch of our armed forces.

And note how far journalism has fallen that anchor Katie Couric doesn't even blink at that information. Later, CBS reported online that Rep. Ed Markey (D-MA) demanded that BP provide live footage of the oil spill:

Earlier Wednesday, Markey demanded the broadcast so independent scientists could more accurately calculate the flow rate. He questioned why such data wasn't readily being made public.

"BP thinks it's their ocean," Markey said while chairing a House Energy and Environment Subcommittee hearing Wednesday.

Markey didn't stop with BP, reports CBS News Correspondent Sharyl Attkisson. He blasted the Coast Guard for what he described as letting BP call the shots.

Coast Guard officials were on a boat with BP contractors who stopped CBS News cameras from viewing an oily beach, and the Coast Guard - which is in charge of the investigation - admits it's had access to live video since Day One but wouldn't let Congress or the public see it, Attkisson reports.

Markey said there was "no excuse for withholding live video for 23 days."

There's no excuse for much of BP's actions, frankly, Congressman Markey. And it will be a test of the strength of our federal government to actually hold them accountable.


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