Crossposted from Street Prophets.
Over the course of several weeks I began noticing something that, the more I thought about it, just didn't jive with reality. First came the collective sigh of relief in the media that the Gulf Coast had dodged a bullet (or two): Alex and Bonnie did not have the effect on BP's Deepwater Horizon well and the U.S. coast that everyone feared.
And then it started in earnest: the bad weather had actually done us all a great favor, by breaking up the vast expanses of thick, gloppy crude. We began to hear about how busy little bacteria could now more easily digest the toxic mess as Nature began to heal herself. It didn't take long before stories like this multiplied, continuing to raise hopes that the disaster's environmental impact may be less than feared.
I've gone from sorrow to exasperation to anger.
Let's back up a bit. Several weeks ago even FOX News was, uncharacteristically, committing truthful journalism, stating on May 5 that "Chemical Detergents May Make Gulf Oil Disaster Worse."
Some random headlines from just one "mainstream" source, ABC News, speak for themselves.
May 17:
Worry Underwater: Oxygen Levels Drop as Oil Continues to Flow
Marine Animals Crowd Shallow Gulf Waters as Worries Over Oxygen Levels Grow
July 14:
Scientists Say Gulf Spill Altering Food Web
Scientists Say Oil and Natural Gas From Gulf Spill Altering Food Web; Lasting Impact Unknown
July 26:
BP Oil Spill: Clean-Up Crews Can't Find Crude in the Gulf
As Size of Slick Shrinks, Experts Say Oil is Breaking Up, Staying Below Surface
July 28:
BP Oil Spill: On Day 100, Gulf Coast Has Some Reason to Hope
Oil Slick Has Shrunk in Size, Marshes Remain Cleaner Than Expected
July 30:
BP Oil Spill: Undersea Plumes Nowhere to Be Found as Tests Show Seafood to Be Safe
Scientists Say Bacteria Have Consumed Undersea Oil Far Faster Than Expected
If I recall correctly it was that last story, as it appeared on televsion, that featured the reporter on an oysterman's boat happily slurping down an oyster to "prove" that no one need worry.
My intention here is not to pick on ABC News; that organization's coverage is overall probably no better or worse than CBS, NBC, or most of the (non-FOX) cable outfits. The examples presented are meant merely to provide a convenient representative example of something all the major media (television and print alike) are doing.
Now, none of these headlines is actually incorrect; many of them are, however, patently misleading, in some cases only providing clarification or presenting the real story in a brief sentence or two at the very end of the piece. (I haven't provided links, but the headlines themselves are taken word-for-word from ABC News' website and can be easily googled by anyone interested in doing so.)
Let me also make clear that I do not deny that the visible fouling of beaches and coastal marshlands may be less than initially feared; nor do I take issue with the fact that Nature has a remarkable innate ability to (eventually) heal. Even I, definitely not a scientific type, know that one of the primary goals of wetland remediation projects is to give the natural environment a boost in doing what it does best.
No, what we're talking about here is what I see as a deliberate, concerted effort by the media in service to BP's public relations arm — and, by logical extension, to the fossil fuels and chemical industries overall. And I'm not alone: Digby at Hullabaloo is just one among many others who have taken notice of this collusion. Mitigate the damage — not to the environment, but to the corporate bottom line; and lull the nation back to sleep with a gentle hug and the reassurance that the fouling of the Gulf of Mexico was, after all, only a bad dream.
One final gobbet of petrochemical insanity before I close:
When asked if the chemical dispersants were making the situation in the Gulf worse by depleting the oxygen, [BP's Bob] Dudley said the dispersants are like "soap suds."
"It is like soap that breaks up the oil into small, very small droplets and then it degrades, biodegrades. And that's part of the natural process of it," Dudley said. "And so what will happen then is a little of the oxygen will be reduced, that means the bacteria is working. We think we see the natural processes at work here through the use of dispersants." [emphasis mine]
Lullaby and goodnight, America. May your dreams continue untroubled.