Publication Items

Coast Guard Eases Boom Exclusion Zone for News Media [1]

The new rules allow news media to enter the 65-foot exclusion zone if they have a Coast Guard credential, except in cases where safety and security prevent it.
SEJ Publication Types:
WatchDog TipSheet [2]
Visibility:
Public [3]
- Read more about Coast Guard Eases Boom Exclusion Zone for News Media [1]
Hired BP Muscle Still Blocking Access; ACLU Weighs In [4]

Mother Jones' Mac McClelland reports that some of those guys wearing uniforms and harassing journalists are actually off-duty local law enforcement officers being paid for their time by BP.
SEJ Publication Types:
WatchDog TipSheet [2]
Topics on the Beat:
Economy & Business [5]
Disasters [6]
Region:
National (U.S.) [7]
Visibility:
Public [3]
- Read more about Hired BP Muscle Still Blocking Access; ACLU Weighs In [4]
SEJ Urges Nuclear Regulatory Commission To Improve Openness [8]

SEJ's comments included suggesting the NRC lose the "minders" that babysit agency people while they talk to reporters and asking that the NRC press operation do its job of keeping reporters and the public apprised of real news.
SEJ Publication Types:
WatchDog TipSheet [2]
Topics on the Beat:
Nuclear Power & Radiation [9]
Government [10]
Region:
National (U.S.) [7]
Visibility:
Public [3]
- Read more about SEJ Urges Nuclear Regulatory Commission To Improve Openness [8]
TOOLBOX: Denver Post Finds Thousands of Drilling Spills in Colorado [11]

A big fraction of the leaks and spills involved not merely oil, but produced water containing hydraulic fracturing fluid. You'll find lots of useful data on the Oil and Gas Conservation Commission website.
SEJ Publication Types:
WatchDog TipSheet [2]
Topics on the Beat:
Chemicals [12]
Energy & Fuel [13]
Pollution [14]
Region:
Mountain West (CO ID MT NV UT WY) [15]
Visibility:
Public [3]
- Read more about TOOLBOX: Denver Post Finds Thousands of Drilling Spills in Colorado [11]
TOOLBOX: Follow the Money on Gulf Oil Spill Contracts [16]

Investigative Reporters and Editors brings news of a special Gulf Oil Spill Report put out by the Federal Procurement Data System which lists all federal contracts that the General Services Administration (GSA) knows about.
SEJ Publication Types:
WatchDog TipSheet [2]
Topics on the Beat:
Economy & Business [5]
Pollution [14]
Government [10]
Region:
National (U.S.) [7]
Visibility:
Public [3]
- Read more about TOOLBOX: Follow the Money on Gulf Oil Spill Contracts [16]
TOOLBOX: Database May Reveal an Oil Spill Near You [17]

Every spill report coming in to the NRC goes into a database which is, for the most part, publicly accessible. You can query the database online, or download it for use in your own computer-assisted reporting project.
SEJ Publication Types:
WatchDog TipSheet [2]
Topics on the Beat:
Chemicals [12]
Energy & Fuel [13]
Pollution [14]
Region:
National (U.S.) [7]
Visibility:
Public [3]
- Read more about TOOLBOX: Database May Reveal an Oil Spill Near You [17]
BP Contractors, Feds Continue to Bar Media from Public Property [18]

WDSU, the NBC affiliate in New Orleans (Channel 6), found that BP's highly publicized statement that it is not barring news media from witnessing the cleanup, or its failure, is in fact not true. See video of this and other examples, and get contact info for the Deepwater Horizon Incident Joint Information Center if you've been denied access.
SEJ Publication Types:
WatchDog TipSheet [2]
Topics on the Beat:
Economy & Business [5]
Disasters [6]
Energy & Fuel [13]
Government [10]
Journalism & Media [19]
Region:
SE (AL AR FL GA KY LA MS NC PR SC TN) [20]
Visibility:
Public [3]
- Read more about BP Contractors, Feds Continue to Bar Media from Public Property [18]
Rig Survivors Detained Until They Signed Statements [21]

Deepwater Horizon explosion survivors were detained at sea for 36 to 40 hours and prevented from talking to families or going home until they signed two statements, one that they'd not been injured and the other that they'd not witnessed the explosion.
SEJ Publication Types:
WatchDog TipSheet [2]
Topics on the Beat:
Disasters [6]
Water & Oceans [22]
Environmental Politics [23]
Region:
SE (AL AR FL GA KY LA MS NC PR SC TN) [20]
Visibility:
Public [3]
- Read more about Rig Survivors Detained Until They Signed Statements [21]
Cleanup Workers' Contract: Don't Talk to Media [24]

Workers in the "Vessels of Opportunity" Gulf spill cleanup program had to sign a contract prohibiting them from talking to the news media or disclosing "proprietary and confidential" information.
SEJ Publication Types:
WatchDog TipSheet [2]
Topics on the Beat:
Economy & Business [5]
Disasters [6]
Energy & Fuel [13]
Water & Oceans [22]
Environmental Politics [23]
Journalism & Media [19]
Region:
SE (AL AR FL GA KY LA MS NC PR SC TN) [20]
Visibility:
Public [3]
- Read more about Cleanup Workers' Contract: Don't Talk to Media [24]
BP Hires Cheney Spokeswoman, Defender of Secrecy, as PR Boss [25]

Anne Womack Kolton, who as former VP Dick Cheney's press aide defended the secrecy of his energy task force, has been brought in to fix BP's PR problems in the Gulf oil spill.
SEJ Publication Types:
WatchDog TipSheet [2]
Topics on the Beat:
Fish & Fisheries [26]
Economy & Business [5]
Disasters [6]
Energy & Fuel [13]
Pollution [14]
Water & Oceans [22]
People & Population [27]
Region:
SE (AL AR FL GA KY LA MS NC PR SC TN) [20]
Visibility:
Public [3]
- Read more about BP Hires Cheney Spokeswoman, Defender of Secrecy, as PR Boss [25]

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