After Freedom Industries, Nearly 1 Wk For Anyone At EPA To Speak With Charlestown Gazette Reporter

[hatrack]

After a massive chemical spill fouled drinking water in West Virginia early this year, it took nearly a week for a Charleston Gazette reporter to get an interview with someone at U.S. EPA. That's far from the transparency the Obama administration has promised, according to journalists who track the agency.

And it's just one of many examples of EPA dragging its feet, skirting questions or failing to respond at all to reporters' inquiries, says an opinion piece published today by officials at the Society of Environmental Journalists.

"Sadly, such communication delays by EPA are not limited to crises. Journalists frequently report waiting for days and in some cases weeks to get EPA to respond to routine requests for information or interviews," wrote Beth Parke and Joseph Davis of the Society of Environmental Journalists. The piece was published by the nonprofit organization Environmental Health Sciences.

The association of environmental reporters has accused the administration of failing to comply with its own pledges of boosting transparency. EPA Administrator Gina McCarthy and other top agency officials have consistently touted the importance of sharing information with the public.

EDIT

http://www.eenews.net/stories/1059996321

[NYC_SKP]

1. Speaking too soon far too often compromises legal proceedings and can cause needless drama.

If the public agency were to make statements sooner, you can be sure they would be vague and without many details or conclusions.

And such statements would draw scorn, too.

I think the EPA should have made a statement, with the few facts that they could share and an explanation about why they can't share more at this time.

It's not right to just blow reporters off.