Problems covering the BP oil spill

Jeremy Peters of the New York Times reports that journalists have been blocked by BP and government officials from covering certain aspects of the oil leak in the Gulf of Mexico.

Peters writes, “Officials at BP and the government entities coordinating the response said instances of denying news media access have been anomalies, and they pointed out that the company and the government have gone to great lengths to accommodate the hundreds of journalists who have traveled to the gulf to cover the story. The F.A.A., responding to criticism following the incident with Southern Seaplane, has revised its flight restrictions over the gulf to allow for news media flights on a case-by-case basis.

“‘Our general approach throughout this response, which is controlled by the Unified Command and is the largest ever to an oil spill,’ said David H. Nicholas, a BP spokesman, ‘has been to allow as much access as possible to media and other parties without compromising the work we are engaged on or the safety of those to whom we give access.’

“Anomalies or not, reporters and photographers continue to be blocked from covering aspects of the spill.

“Last week, Senator Bill Nelson, Democrat of Florida, tried to bring a small group of journalists with him on a trip he was taking through the gulf on a Coast Guard vessel. Mr. Nelson’s office said the Coast Guard agreed to accommodate the reporters and camera operators. But at about 10 p.m. on the evening before the trip, someone from the Department of Homeland Security’s legislative affairs office called the senator’s office to tell them that no journalists would be allowed.”

Read more here.