Tony’s yap is as big as his yacht

Opinion: June 25, 2010 at 12:00a.m.

Chicago Tribune: There was something galling about BP Chief Executive Officer Tony Hayward attending a yacht race last weekend while his company’s runaway oil well continued pummeling both wildlife and livelihood for an eighth week in the Gulf of Mexico.

Sure, an argument could be made that a Father’s Day outing with his son is reasonable, but hey, Tony, ever hear of a backyard barbecue? Something about the blue waters off the Isle of Wight and, let’s face it, the idea of a rich guy playing with his big boat just didn’t sit right. It was, critics said, a public relations fiasco. You couldn’t flip on a television or radio without hearing a talking head bloviate about Hayward and his yacht.

Stories take on new life

But when stories drag on long enough, the relentlessness of the 24-hour news cycle begins to look for stories within the story. And the problem with this story is that it moves the eye from more relevant concerns: massive numbers of dead and oiled animals, an effect on the ecosystem that won’t be known for years and questions about how forthcoming BP is being with access and information.

More than once, Hayward has seemed like a dunce (who can forget his immortal “I’d like to have my life back” after those 11 workers had lost theirs?). But after a weekend of discussing his lack of PR skills, let’s remember not to be distracted from what’s coming out of BP’s well by what’s coming out of Tony Hayward’s mouth.