More Media Outlets Claim Lack of Access to Oil Leak

The Associated Press reports that more and more media outlets are finding blocked access to coverage of the BP oil leak, from beaches to information.

"In at least two cases, a media organization and a seaplane pilot say BP PLC -- the company responsible for cleaning up the spill -- appeared to have a role in deciding on access. Other media, including The Associated Press, have reported coverage problems because their access has been restricted, though not all have linked the decision to BP. Government officials say restrictions are needed to protect wildlife and ensure safe air traffic," AP stated.

Ted Jackson, a photographer for The Times-Picayune of  New Orleans, told AP Saturday that access to the spill "is slowly being strangled off."

A CBS news story, meanwhile, "said one of its reporting teams was threatened with arrest by the Coast Guard and turned back from an oiled beach at the mouth of the Mississippi River. The story said the reporters were told the denial was under 'BP's rules.'"

Not the way the news is supposed to be handled.