Journalists now facing felony charges for trying to report on environmental consequences of BP oil spill.
Independent reporters trying to share stories and images of the unfolding environmental tragedy along the Gulf coast are now facing large fines and
multi-year prison sentences for committing the felony of journalism. Among other things, the new restrictions prohibit writers and photographers from coming within 65 feet of any response vessels or booms on water or on breaches.
As CNN’s Anderson Cooper puts it: “Keeping prying eyes out of marshes, away from booms, off the beaches is now government policy.”
Independent journalist Goergiann Nienaber tells Democracy Now’s Amy Goodman that the government crack down on reporters reminds her of working in the Congo. Nienaber’s article, “Facing the Future as a Media Felon on the Gulf Coast,” can be read here.
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