Oil-Spill Spin: Who Can You Trust?

Source: Newsweek

One month after the Deepwater Horizon oil rig exploded in the Gulf of Mexico, the story of the catastrophic oil spill is still making headlines—and, unfortunately, there seems to be no end in sight. Over the course of all this media coverage, a group of key players has emerged, appearing over and over again in the papers, on the radio, and on the talk-show circuit. But for all the coverage, it’s still hard to determine what’s really going on. After all, everyone has an angle. We collected a list of some frequently quoted sources to determine their backgrounds and their biases, and what to listen for as they give their takes.

Thad Allen
National incident commander in response to the Deepwater Horizon oil spill

Allen made a name for himself as one of the military’s go-to emergency responders, and for good reason. He headed up the Coast Guard efforts after 9/11, and was one of the key players in the military’s Katrina response and reconstruction. Relieved of his commandant duty, he’s still overseeing the response to the spill. Allen is a pretty straight shooter, so don’t expect a lot of spin. Still, he believes that only BP has the money, manpower, and technology to fix the spill. He’s committed to working with it, and is reluctant to take place in the BP-bashing that’s starting to surface in other parts of the government. “I trust Tony Hayward,” he said this weekend on State of the Union. When I talk to him, I get an answer.” Since BP is an easy target in all this, it’s clear that Allen isn’t looking to play games or play politics: he wants to clean stuff up. By the same token, if BP isn’t doing what it should, he’ll say so.

Lisa Jackson
Head of the Environmental Protection Agency

If everyone’s angry about the oil, then who’s left to be angry about the chemical dispersants being used to break up the slick? That’s where the EPA administrator has come in. By demanding that BP use a less toxic dispersant, she’s assuring that the administration can claim it raised a red flag about the toxicity of BP’s chosen chemical should it eventually become a problem.
She’s become more aggressive in recent days: ProPublica reported that the EPA is considering serious sanctions against BP. Jackson’s not willing do the go-along-to-get-along routine when it comes to the company. Asked if BP was a responsible economic steward, she told Fox News: “I don’t see how I can make that judgment about a company that’s having what could well be the biggest environmental disaster this country has ever seen. I mean, it is too soon to write what it was, but certainly as it unfolds, I don’t think anybody could call them a steward that’s responsible when oil is leaking into the gulf the way it is right now.”

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Read more: http://www.newsweek.com/2010/05/26/oil-spill-spin-who-can-you-trust.html

Who are you going to believe, me or your own eyes?
Chico Marx in Duck Soup (movie)

The coast guard is toadies for BP, they were trying to keep news people from photographing when the oil first hit the beach. Saying you can trust the BP CEO, what a fuc*ing FARCE. This is the greed pig that caused the problem in the first place with his money over safety mantra. BP has a long history of disregard for safety and apparently their last world record fine didn't change any of that.

and the EPA saying ANY dispersant is okay is also a total farce. Dispersants are nearly as toxic as the oil, all they do is hide the oil and make it impossible to clean up. THERE SHOULD BE NO USE OF DISPERSANTS, it's making the problem worse. The only reason BP is doing it is to hide the amount spilled because they get fined by the amount.