Spill Here, Spill Now, Missed Messages Dept. 1
The Philadelphia Inquirer looks at coverage of BP’s wild well and concludes that, taken all together, news media have done a pretty good job of covering events since the blowout (of course, this does not mean that every news organization has done a good job).
Then it asks
Yes, the media are doing fine now – but where were they when the mistakes were being made?
Roger Cohn, editor of the online eco-magazine Yale Environment 360, says, “One big lapse was to accept this notion that technology of deepwater drilling had been so improved over the years and was now safe. The industry said so, President Obama believed and accepted it, so the media very uncritically accepted it without any evidence.”
Emotions are the fuel of politics, so it should not surprise that, in this ferocious off-year election, the two major parties are battling to take charge of the narrative. Each announcement, each appearance, is a photo-op, a chance to attract votes.
The author then fails to point out that
- almost everyone, not just President Obama, believed that the “technology of deepwater drilling had been so improved over the years and was now safe,” except possibly for a few “enviro-not-so-whackos,”
- that Republicans were and, God help me, are still agitating for drilling here, there, and everywhere,
- that, when President Obama approved some offshore exploration for oil, it was considered to a political concession to–wait for it–Republicans to help smooth passage of Climate Change legislation and that those same Republicans complained that he did not go far enough.
This is all part of the before that the author concedes was not well reported, but which then drops out of the narrative completely. Yet, knowing the before helps us understand the after.
The story then degenerates into a bunch of drivel on current political manoeuvering.
To try to make this all about Obama is to try to make an arson fire all about the fire department and ignore the arsonists.
I’m just back from the vigil to mark the 50th day of BP’s wild well. I’ll post some pictures tomorrow.
June 9, 2010 at 7:20 am
“except possibly for a few “enviro-not-so-whackos”
Yep, uh huh, count me in. And I’ll stand on my step-stool to be sure to be counted.
I had an aquaintance tell me, regarding drilling up ANWR, that the animals would adjust. I would so love to throw that back in her face, but to do so would create a world of trouble for me, that I just don’t need.
If BP & the others can’t manage to get oil over land without having issues, how could any of them possibly get it done a mile under the ocean without problems?
I’ve said it before & I’ll say it again: As long as people are involved, I don’t care how advanced the technology is, there will be short cutting that causes malfunctions, damage & problems.
Water, sun, wind. No animals were ever hurt in a wind farm.