The Conversation: Press Hassled on Gulf Coast?

The Conversation: Press Hassled on Gulf Coast?

abcnews.go.com

Despite company statements that anyone on cleanup crews can share their views, ABC's Matt Gutman reports that's not necessarily the case. Today during a "World News" Conversation, he saw firsthand how a BP manager took pains to keep workers away from the press.

Gutman was hassled by the manager of a nearby crew, asking why he was on the beach.
"Everywhere you go, you find police barricades, people telling you, you can't do this, you can't do that, or you can't talk to these people.

(visit the link for the full news article)

So it seems that BP is doing its best to actually prevent reporters from reporting almost anything.

Why the increase of police presence?
Why are managers being told to try to keep the press at bay?

We, on ATS, probably have more of an idea than many reporters currently do.

this is the actual title and snipit of info that leads you to the report

Oil...Slick? BP Caught on Tape Challenging ABC News Reporter
Reports of BP dodging, stonewalling or harassing press up and down the Gulf Coast.

Why the need for as much secrecy as possible...

Something stinks and it's not oil or millions of rotting corpses of birds, fish, turtles and, well, half the gulf of Mexico

abcnews.go.com
(visit the link for the full news article)

Anderson Cooper has been describing this as well...

He's been rather heated the last couple of nights asking why they wont let them film birds being rescued or why they are sending internal memos claiming what is obviously contradictory to fact as it relates to muzzling observers.

I think it gurgles down to one thing, and one thing only. This so called
"oil spill" is probably at least ten times as bad as they are lying to us
about. It will one day all come out in the wash, and we will have our
answers to this nightmare.

Grab a camera and a gun go to a public beach or marsh and start filming.

I anyone tells you that you can not film here, Explane that you are press and you have every right to film on public lands.

If they try to use force to remove you, Defend Yourself and record all of it.

reply to post by Extralien



I'm getting sick and tired of hearing that the press as well as citizens are being harassed for trying to report on the spill. That alone tells me that they aren't being honest. I'm not far from the Gulf, and I'm about ready to take a few days off and go down on my own.

Within the first two weeks of this, two of my co-workers and I were going to be going as volunteers from the DNR here in Georgia, but were later told that we wouldn't be going after all. Makes me wonder..