Obama Admin Censoring Oil Spill Reporting?

A friend of mine zapped me a commentary regarding free speech, Obama administration censoring reporting on the oil spill, etc. so I went a-wandering on the Internet to see what I could find. This may be old news to many of you, but it's new for me so I'm sharing.

In looking around I found all kinds of stories about the squashing of reporting on the oil spill, but loads on Obama's efforts to squelch all kinds of reporting... Here's one page with a listing of links to a wide variety of censorship efforts: http://www.examiner.com/x-6495-US-Intelligence-Examiner~y2010m6d13-Censored-news-Crackdown-on-news-leaks-Gulf-oil-spill-news-blocked-leak-amount-minimized-more (I don't know anything about the Examiner... but the links go to NY Times, etc.)

When Reuters reports, when CNN reports.... you know that Obama has crossed every possible line!

U.S. media union to monitor restrictions on spill coverage
(Reuters) - A major U.S. union representing broadcast journalists said on Thursday it would monitor reports of censorship and restrictions on access for reporting on the oil spill crisis in the Gulf of Mexico. The American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (AFTRA) said it had launched a website to gather published accounts about journalists being hindered from gathering information about the worst oil spill in U.S. history. "We are concerned about continuing reports that journalists are being denied access to sources and public places necessary for them to fully cover this important story," AFTRA national president Roberta Reardon said in a statement. 

http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSTRE66103X20100702

AFTRA's website: http://www.aftra.com/access4media.htm

Efforts to Limit the Flow of Spill News
June 10, 2010, New York Times
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/06/10/us/10access.html When the operators of Southern Seaplane in Belle Chasse, La., called the local Coast Guard-Federal Aviation Administration command center for permission to fly over restricted airspace in [the] Gulf of Mexico, they made what they thought was a simple and routine request.

I'm seeing stuff on Mother Earth News (definitely not a right leaning pub), etc. I don't have a lot of time to go into great depth right now, but there's a definite trend of media censorship floating across the web. We all know that Obama is working hard to grab control of the news, shape the way the media reports (I mean, just look at what they did with access to Kagan and her family... the in-house fairy-tale White House controlled 'interview' of her, etc.).

The Left used to scream that George W. was gonna kill free speech, monitor their phone lines and emails, etc., etc. They seem to be waking up to the fact that Obama is the embodiment of their fears...