Eric Gay, The Associated Press archive
Shrimp boats collect oil in Chandeleur Sound last May, during the BP Deepwater Horizon disaster.
Imagine this. A reporter is invited on a state-funded fishing trip by the Louisiana Charter Boat Association. One caveat: His story must inform readers the oil industry lives in harmony with recreational fishing and, in fact, is beneficial to that sector.
Shocked? So was Eric Sharp of the Detroit Free-Press. “Of course, I told him I couldn’t do that — I couldn’t accept any trip with pre-conditions,” he said. “When he told me the money and the conditions had come from your Department of Natural Resources, I was really surprised.” I wasn’t. Not even after the story was confirmed by DNR Undersecretary Robert Harper. His agency is spending $10,000 on that campaign, he said.
There are several things wrong with this program, starting with the most obvious: It’s not true. In fact, the opposite is true.
