The British Petroleum Oil Spill and Lack of Response

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The British Petroleum Oil Spill and Lack of Response Last year, news spread of an oil spill off the Gulf Coast. These events occur periodically and usually register much media attention. As British Petroleum (BP) executives could not shut off the crude oil or prevent the damage it caused, people took notice. Millions of dollars in tourism, commerce and sales were lost. Thousands of wildlife acres and ecosystems were also compromised. There were more questions than answers. What BP did to alleviate growing fears made the controversy. They said there were no problems initially, then denied there were problems then they could not fix the problem. BP executives were flabbergasted regarding the intense media attention and upset after being taken to task for their incompetence. This paper will explore the issues surrounding the giant mess and what can be learned from the incident. The gulf Oil spill was bad; the company’s public relations strategy made matters worse. Their game plan was to stonewall the media, deny any responsibility and hope the issue would solve itself. Needless to say, that plan did not work—and they did not have a “Plan B.” Media outlets demanded answers from BP concerning what caused the disaster that started April 10, 2010. It became one of the worst environmental spills in U.S. history. Instead of owning up to the problem and taking responsibility, the company went on an offensive-blame-fueled binge that left those affected by the events horrified and angry. (Houpe, 2010) Instead of enlisting help, executives told people, “There’s nothing to see here, move Public Relations Theories 2 along.” BP CEO Tony Hayward, said the pipes complied with local laws and regulations. The spill itself was not the company’... ... middle of paper ... ...Oil Spill Response,” Mediashift, PBS.com, July 12, 2010. Retrieved May 3, 2011 from: http://www.pbs.org/mediashift/2010/07/5-digital-pr-lessons-from-bps-oil-spill-response193.html Cook, Phil. “Lesson with the BP oil spill: How NOT to respond to a disaster.” PhilCook.com, May 23, 2010. Retrieved May 4, 2011 from: http://philcooke.com/BP_Spill/ Houpe, Rosa “The Sticky Details: BP oil spill facts that you should not forget,” Gulf oil Spill, February 5, 2011. Retrieved May 3, 2011 from: http://www.gulfspilloil.com/the-sticky-details-bp-oil-spill-facts-that-you-should-not-forget Luce, Edward. “BP Faces Public Relations Disaster,” June 2010. Renak, Judith. “Tylenol made a hero of Johnson and Johnson: The recall that started them all,” The New York Times. March 22, 2002. Retrieved May 3, 2011 from: http://www.nytimes.com/2002/03/23/your-money/23iht-mjj_ed3_.html

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