I was interviewed by KPRC yesterday evening about the latest seep discovered close to the well and the growing rift between BP and the US government. I can't embed it, so here's the link.
Bob on NBC Affiliate KPRC Houston, July 18, 2010
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They had it right on the webcast when they said there's a disconnect between government authorities and BP representatives.
Moreover, the information in the past few days from BP has changed dramatically, without question from the press. And there's still no announcement that the relief well effort has resumed.
Carol Browner told the CBS "Early Show" the seep was found less than two miles from the well site. Another shoe dropped by a public servant. Vague statements like this sure stoke a lot of uncertainty.
If Browner means just a little less than 2 miles away, then I'm not that concerned, it's likely just a natural seep not connected with the blowout. On the other hand, does BP have the capacity to regularly scan a bit less than 4 square miles of sea floor every few days? Or were they just really lucky to have an ROV looking at the right place at the right time? Maybe when Browner says less than 2 miles she means a lot less than 2 miles? 100 meters is technically less than 2 miles. That wouldn't technically be a lie, it would just be very imprecise - and maybe there is cause for greater concern that the gas seep and the blowout are indeed linked. So what has Browner really told me? Next to nothing.
All this could be avoided if just a minimum amount of background info was provided with these pronouncements: the basic 5 Ws of good reporting. If an interviewee doesn't provide them, then the interviewer ought to dig them out in follow-up, but as you have experienced, follow-up is often not allowed.
All of which is why I keep reading this fine little blog and why I give you regular thumbs up to let you know that good investigative reporting is appreciated.
Bob, I hope you will answer this question for all of us: The comments from you and several bloggers imply that BP is allowed, per its lease, to withhold data from the feds so that their competitors can't get at it, and that they have not been required to reveal all of their data to the Coast Guard. Do I have this right? Can you be more specific about the nature of this data?