"Ferguson Police" by Steve Sack (immaplatypus/tumblr)

Although White House officials stated that the 12-day air restriction was supposed to exclude police helicopters, commercial flights and press helicopters, an audio recording obtained by the Associated Press seems to tell another story.

In the recording, Federal Aviation Administration officers tried to lessen the restrictions to allow commercial flights "but will still keep news people out." The police official on the other end replied, "I have no problem with that whatsoever," revealing that local officials privately acknowledged the policy may have been designed to intentionally keep the media away from the scene. 

Read more at AP Exclusive. 

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