Five Month Cover Up?

Imagine my surprise this morning while reading the latest AP story by Dina Cappiello, White House tweaked drilling report . What’s interesting about it; Fox ran this story ran back in June and it was referenced on at least one blog . It took the Associated Press five months to break this headline story.


I think there’s an ethics rule among writers, something about not quoting an entire article; then again there are exceptions to most every rule. In this case I’m not quoting a news piece; it’s really a history article, five months old.


“An inspector general says the White House edited a report about the administration’s moratorium on offshore oil drilling to make it appear that scientists and experts supported the idea of a six-month ban on new drilling.


The Interior Department’s inspector general says the changes resulted “in the implication that the moratorium recommendation had been peer reviewed.” But it hadn’t been.


Still, the report said the administration did not violate federal rules because it had offered a formal apology and already publicly clarified the nature of the expert review.


The Web site Politico was first to report the inspector general’s findings . The Associated Press on Wednesday obtained a copy of the report, which has not been publicly released.”


Five months ago Fox reported the Obama administration altered a significant report in order to make it appear as if the moratorium on drilling for oil had been the result of peer review when in fact it was just the opposite, quoting the Fox article which ran June 11, 2010.


“The seven experts who advised President Obama on how to deal with offshore drilling safety after the Deepwater Horizon explosion are accusing his administration of misrepresenting their views to make it appear that they supported a six-month drilling moratorium -- something they actually oppose.”


Silly me, I keep forgetting Fox isn’t really a news outlet and provides entertainment only. It makes my heart feel all warm and fuzzy knowing the Obama administration “did not violate federal rules because it had offered a formal apology and already publicly clarified the nature of the expert review.”


Isn’t that the same as saying “We lied, altered part of an official government report and killed off thousands of jobs in the off shore oil industry; but since we were caught and offered a sincere apology we get a Mulligan”? The word “tweaked” covers a considerable amount of slop, or am I mistaken? A major news media closed its eyes for nearly half a year on a major story making it possible for the Obama administration to destroy America’s off shore drilling industry and all the AP can say, the report was “tweaked”.


This article has been cross posted to The Moral Liberal , a publication whose banner reads, “Defending The Judeo-Christian Ethic, Limited Government, & The American Constitution”.