From the article: "Documents obtained by Scientific American through Freedom of Information Act requests now paint a disturbing picture of the tactics that are used to control the science press. For example, the FDA assures the public that it is committed to transparency, but the documents show that, privately, the agency denies many reporters access—including ones from major outlets such as Fox News—and even deceives them with half-truths to handicap them in their pursuit of a story. At the same time, the FDA cultivates a coterie of journalists whom it keeps in line with threats. And the agency has made it a practice to demand total control over whom reporters can and can't talk to until after the news has broken, deaf to protests by journalistic associations and media ethicists and in violation of its own written policies."
So let see if I understand this...
1- They tell their friendly reporters who they can and can't talk to with conditional embargos.
2- They don't let reports they view as hostile into the press releases.
3- They actively thwart these reporters viewed as hostiles by intentionally telling them lies and half-truths.
This is completely absurd, A federal agency is manipulating the story it wants and the side it wants to tell it. It is picking the winners and losers, and the winners keep quiet about the scam because it they start to be seen as trouble makers, soon they will start getting the Fox News treatment too.