A former colleague of mine is asking good questions about the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico, including how a hurricane could potentially spread the oil inland.Now retired from USA Today, weather guru Jack Williams shows he still has an inquisitive mind. Reporters should note the kind of questions Jack is asking in his blog. These are questions that I haven't heard asked by media types, let alone answered by officials or experts. They are evolving and important questions about what might turn into the biggest story since Sept. 11, 2001.Jack proves what most media managers should know but sometimes forget. Insightful reporting, instincts to ask the right questions and polished professionalism can't be replaced in newsrooms by shortcuts and technical wizardry. When guys like Jack leave the business, journalism suffers, knowledge isn't passed down to younger reporters and consumers of news get a less substantive report.
The New York Times and The Washington Post are doing a good job of covering the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. Unfortunately, I don't think the average American is grasping the magnitude of this disaster or how it might eventually impact them. This is about more than just not being able to eat your favorite seafood.Here's a link to a 
decent assortment of multimedia graphics on the Times site. And here's the latest on the scope of the spill from the Post. If you're relying on the network television news to give you substantive reporting, forget about it. The best broadcast reporting is being done by the PBS Newshour. I recommend tuning in.I've said almost everything I can say about BP and other oil executives. Just looking at those three suits pointing fingers at each other in front of Congress last week confirmed everything I suspected. It's the same old story. Lies, arrogance and extreme corporate wealth continue to allow people and companies to wiggle their ways out of being held accountable. These guys need to go to jail. Getting a scolding from a senator or President Obama isn't exactly a strong deterrent. We fine people for littering. What should be the penalty for a massive oil spill?
Americans need to wake up and demand better from business leaders. From sketchy coal mine operators to shady bankers, slimy oil executives to greedy Wall Street investors, we are letting bald-headed men with designer suits and private jets destroy our environment and economy while they continue to prosper. They are doing more damage to this country than any illegal alien or would-be car bomber.Calling this an accident is not a valid reason to not prosecute these oil executives. Negligence in certain cases is a crime. At the very least, BP was negligent in not having a plan to contain this spill after the fatal accident occurred. Oh yes, people on the oil rig did die. That seems to get lost in the story. And in terms of destroying property, livelihoods and local economies, I can't think of a bigger crime than what is taking place in the gulf.
A former colleague of mine is asking good questions about the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico, including how a hurricane could potentially spread the oil inland.
