Did Travel Writers get Paid to Write Nice Things About the Gulf Oil Spill?

There has been some interesting discussion about the press tour to the Gulf Coast and the "gushing" that went on by the travel writers who were sent there. Apparently the LA Times took issue with the positives that came from that trip. I have no idea what the writers saw on this press trip and if they reported their findings objectively. But let me tell you a bit about press trips and travel