'Planet BP' Flack Gets Whacked for Hackneyed Hack Tack

We couldn't pass up the opportunity to publish such a headline. Jason Linkins from HuffPo's Eat the Press blog took a closer look at the text from BP's house organ "Planet BP" first obtained by WSJ.com. Thirty-seven year BP PR veteran Tom Seslar used his interaction with a cab driver to tee up his latest article about his trip to cover the oil spill, a "terrible reportorial habit that's ordinarily beaten out of reporters by editors, with shillelaghs!" according to Linkins. The link to the story now maps to "Unfortunately, the page you requested could not be displayed," though Seslar's BP blog is still live. HuffPo pasted the text to show how Selsar let his source tell the story (complete with PR advice) of his mission to help BP's image: "Your job is really a lot like mine...The spill is a sad, unfortunate situation," Paul offered as we rode along the freeway. "But I never know for sure how a particular rider feels about any subject. So no matter what topic comes up, I just stick to the facts. You can't go wrong if you stick to the facts. "If I would try to spin it one way or the other, I'd run the risk of losing my credibility and offending somebody at the same time," Paul said to me. "That's why I see a similarity between how you and I both have to operate. Just stick to the facts and you can't go wrong." So running people to the airport is a somehow a lot like the largest damage control effort in history? The writer, for those keeping score, keeps a very low profile on the internet. Seslar is listed as an "Oil & Energy Consultant and Contractor" on LinkedIn--based in Chicago, 1 connection. [Image via Wikimedia Commons]

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'Planet BP' Flack Gets Whacked for Hackneyed Hack Tack

Jason Chupick

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Jason Chupick