$40k fine & felony for media to approach oil spill

[¯\_(ツ)_/¯]

you're right, let the media go wherever they want. let them get in the way, because knowing something that we'll find out in 6 months or a year from now is far more important than being in the way of the oil clean up

[lonesomexloveus]

you're right, let the media go wherever they want. let them get in the way, because knowing something that we'll find out in 6 months or a year from now is far more important than being in the way of the oil clean up

there's a huge difference between saying no one can take any photos or film anything within 65 feet of the spill sites, oil booms, etc, without being charged with a felony and potentially fined $40k, and having the media not be in the way.

[¯\_(ツ)_/¯]

you're right, let the media go wherever they want. let them get in the way, because knowing something that we'll find out in 6 months or a year from now is far more important than being in the way of the oil clean up

there's a huge difference between saying no one can take any photos or film anything within 65 feet of the spill sites, oil booms, etc, without being charged with a felony and potentially fined $40k, and having the media not be in the way.

so stand further back. 65 feet is NOT that far when you're dealing with a crisis of this magnitude.

[mcm1610]

how about instead of reporting day in and day out, those reporters and everyone down there help with the clean up instead of just talking about it. stay out of the way of the people actually DOING something, i'd be annoyed as fuck if i were down there actually cleaning up the oil spill and some schmuck on a boat was getting in the way of the work I was doing. how much cleaning do you think the staff of cnn, nbc, cbs, abc, fox, etc, have done vs. the hours of reporting about how bad its getting down there?

This is what I'm getting at. We don't need to be informed about it anymore. We need people doing something. 25 more pictures of a dead duck isn't going to do shit. Get the fuck out of the way so they can clean up, or help clean up.

[mcm1610]

i don't think you get what i'm saying here.

and as far as photographers in war zones, i think it's important to document things for the future. many photographers use their art to create awareness of problems. saying 'x number of people were murdered and brutally raped in sudan' doesn't have quite the impact that seeing images of that does. (see, http://www.thedevilcameonhorseback.com/ ) photos from places like iraq, or afghanistan aren't sensationalized; they can't be embellished under those conditions. i don't know how you could say photos of actual events taking place don't inform people.

you like/teach/study history. what would history books be for school age kids (or anyone for that matter) without photographs documenting what happened?

I think there's more than enough pictures available to make sure this BP fiasco makes it in the paper. Aftermath pictures of war do quite well at getting the point across as well - you don't need to be standing in no-man's land taking pictures of both sides to capture it. Most history, actually, contrary to the history channel, the right wing, and dictators like Mussolini, is NOT war or dangerous. Photographs of everyday life are for more informative than a blurry shot of some dirt exploding and what looks like 3 people running for their lives.

I don't think this is going to cause any real ripples in our freedom of speech. If it does, I'll eat my words.

(Where's the outrage about the ongoing PATRIOT Act, which is still more of an intrusion than this will ever be?)

[flicker]

you stop taking pictures, people forget.

out of sight, out of mind.

these pictures and news stories cause more outrage and involvement than if the photographers hung up their cameras and just focused on cleanup work...

[¯\_(ツ)_/¯]

you stop taking pictures, people forget.

out of sight, out of mind.

these pictures and news stories cause more outrage and involvement than if the photographers hung up their cameras and just focused on cleanup work...

and like i said, you can still do those stories and photographs from more than 65 feet away. no one is you can't cover it.

[sharkticon]

you stop taking pictures, people forget.

out of sight, out of mind.

these pictures and news stories cause more outrage and involvement than if the photographers hung up their cameras and just focused on cleanup work...

and like i said, you can still do those stories and photographs from more than 65 feet away. no one is you can't cover it.

You obviously haven't read the dozens of news stories about police, the coast guard, and BP "officials" confronting people with cameras and telling them to stop what they're doing. I really cannot fathom how you can be so complacent with blatant undermining of basic rights. Clean up crews have their jobs to do and so do the press.

[mcm1610]

How on earth did people get outraged about anything before instant technology?

If people forget about this, what does that say about this event, the people, or both?

[¯\_(ツ)_/¯]

and like i said, you can still do those stories and photographs from more than 65 feet away. no one is you can't cover it.

You obviously haven't read the dozens of news stories about police, the coast guard, and BP "officials" confronting people with cameras and telling them to stop what they're doing. I really cannot fathom how you can be so complacent with blatant undermining of basic rights. Clean up crews have their jobs to do and so do the press.

do you know why they were confronting those people? no one is saying to stop covering it. they're saying cover it from over there while we WORK TO CLEAN IT UP. fuck how retarded are you.

[mcm1610]

Are we referring to this guy?

http://cpj.org/2010/07/us-photographer-harassed-covering-gulf-oil-spill.php

or

http://www.propublica.org/article/photographer-detained-briefly-by-bp-and-local-police

I'm on vacation, so I don't want to spend hours researching, but a couple different Google searches kept directing me toward him and only him. He was allowed to keep his pictures. He was questioned in a standing procedure, and that appears to have been the outrage.

[motorbike]

jesus, you guys act like these photographers are getting in there and stopping clean up crews so they can get poses. history is written by the last man standing. get the media out of the way and bp can totally make "progress".

[lokithelion]

how about instead of reporting day in and day out, those reporters and everyone down there help with the clean up instead of just talking about it. stay out of the way of the people actually DOING something, i'd be annoyed as fuck if i were down there actually cleaning up the oil spill and some schmuck on a boat was getting in the way of the work I was doing. how much cleaning do you think the staff of cnn, nbc, cbs, abc, fox, etc, have done vs. the hours of reporting about how bad its getting down there?

This is what I'm getting at. We don't need to be informed about it anymore. We need people doing something. 25 more pictures of a dead duck isn't going to do shit. Get the fuck out of the way so they can clean up, or help clean up.

Yes, a picture of a dead duck does matter when BP can destroy the body. Photographic evidence is the only sure thing that can help prove what level of liability BP will be held to. The methods that BP is using to clean up would in no way be hindered by professional members of the press having access to the area.

But yeah there's no reason to believe BP couldn't be trusted to clean up safely, not cut any corners, and not cover up traces of their liability.

http://www.democracynow.org/2010/7/6/scientist_working_with_government_says_bp

http://allisonkilkenny.wordpress.com/2010/07/01/allegations-emerge-bp-is-dumping-sand-to-cover-oil/

http://www.wdsu.com/news/24054256/detail.html

http://videocafe.crooksandliars.com/node/38211

http://transcripts.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/1006/30/acd.01.html

http://www.nola.com/news/gulf-oil-spill/index.ssf/2010/07/objectivity_of_spill_probe_pan.html

http://motherjones.com/rights-stuff/2010/06/BP-louisiana-police-stop-activist

etc etc

[lonesomexloveus]

just...wow. i don't think people understand the scope of the issues. 1. those involving this atrocity and the need for people to be reminded that things are still awful down there (yes, people are stupid. they need constant stimulation like that, because that is what they are used to at this point. yes, that is partially because of the media, and yes, it IS a vicious cycle that will never be broken) 2. photographer's rights are violated everyday by the government and various other people, specifically police. this only serves to further undermine the rights given to us by the constitution.

check out http://carlosmiller.com/

[¯\_(ツ)_/¯]

besides the website you posted originally and that youtube video, I cannot find this passing or rule on the internet or on CNN.com's website or anywhere. can you find it?

[lonesomexloveus]

http://pdnedu.blogs.com/pdn_pulse/2010/0....directive.ht ml

http://www.deepwaterhorizonresponse.com/go/doc/2931/726955/

http://bpoilnews.com/

http://www.digitaljournal.com/article/294310

google is your friend.

[¯\_(ツ)_/¯]

The safety zone has been put in place to protect members of the response effort, the installation and maintenance of oil containment boom, the operation of response equipment and protection of the environment by limiting access to and through deployed protective boom.

huh, that... makes total sense. there is no need to be out in the waters with the booms, especially if you dont know what the fuck you're doing.

[mariawithoneeye]

I heard something about how BP was just telling people to look like they were cleaning up the mess

[mcm1610]

I heard they were just clubbing animals and lighting turtles on fire for shits and giggles.

[lonesomexloveus]

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/allison-kilkenny/allegations-emerge-bp-is_b_632954.html

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/07/05/AR2010070502937.html

yeah, stuff like that definitely doesn't need to be reported by the media. who cares if bp is taking shortcuts and creating more irreparable and needless damage to the environment?

[sharkticon]

[steventangent]

Wow. All this, and states starting to ban people from filming police while they are working...nice slippery slope we've got going here.

And anybody who thinks photographers don't belong in war zones apparently doesn't understand the importance of...

[drabley]

How on earth did people get outraged about anything before instant technology?

I heard something on the radio about this.

Consider how BP and Tony Hayward are two of the most hated things on the planet now.

Now remember Bhopal in the early 80's. Over 1000 human lives were lost, countless others irreparably damaged. BP and Tony Hayward would DREAM to have the level of outrage that Union Carbide and Warren Anderson did back then.

The reason; instant technology.

[alex13]

While I find the story hard to believe, my role in coastal restoration of southern Louisiana can attest to the annoyance of getting my work done due to media companies reserving every...single...available hotel/motel/rental down near Venice.

It's really frustrating when I try to get a crew down there and am unable to get a hotel room because it's been practically bought out. The worst part--nobody's even in the rooms!

I recently had a subcontractor tell me that she has been in every part of the world and has never paid such an exorbitant amount of money for a place to stay.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/lagohsep/ there are plenty of pictures being taken, by the way.

[andrew13]

how many of the people who are complaining have worked around raw crude? we have 2 wells on our property and i've helped with them in the past. it's some nasty shit. standing 65 feet back for someone not wearing protective clothing and who doesn't know what they're doing doesn't seem like a bad idea. especially since the dispersants are supposedly more toxic than the oil itself and are making people sick left and right. plus, most people who worked on the exxon valdez cleanup are having serious health issues from exposure to the oil, with many developing leukemia or other life threatening diseases.