The National Press Photographers Association sent a letter to President Obama today asking that a ban on interviews with BP clean-up workers be lifted.

“The National Press Photographers Association today asked President Barack Obama to order the rescinding of a ban on members of the media speaking with clean-up workers, and to instruct the federal government to work with the press to create a more reasonable 'safety zone' for journalists who are covering the Gulf oil spill and attempting to document the Deepwater Horizon booming efforts,” NPPA stated on its website.

“NPPA is outraged at reports that the U.S. Coast Guard has created an extremely restrictive 'safety zone' surrounding all Deepwater Horizon booming operations, and at reports that the federal government has banned members of the news media from speaking with clean-up workers,” NPPA president Bob Carey wrote in the letter.

“The Constitution provides First Amendment protection from governmental abridgment of press access. While that protection is limited by reasonable time, place and manner restrictions - a blanket ban keeping journalists at least 65 feet away from any activity related to the oil spill cleanup is overly broad and may limit more access than is necessary,” Carey added.