President Biden’s Lesson For PR People: Best To Avoid Saying ‘No Comment’ When Saying ‘No Comment’

When asked to comment on the indictment of former President Donald Trump, the New York Times reported on March 31 that President Biden said:

• “I have no comment on that,” when asked, “Would the indictment divide the country?”

• “No. I’m not going to talk about the Trump indictment,” when asked, “Was he worried about protests?” 

• “I have no comment at all,” when asked, “What did the indictment say about the rule of law?” 

• And, “I have no comment on Trump,” when asked, “Are the charges politically motivated?” 

In addition to ducking reporter’s questions on an issue of importance to the country, the president’s cardinal mistake was to use the phrase “no comment” in three of his four replies, a PR 101 “no no.”

The effect of the president not answering the questions was that he was refusing to state his position on an issue that will be in the news for years, not satisfying pro or anti-Trump supporters, independents and the media. A better way to answer the questions would have been for him to say “no comment” without saying “no comment,” by replying with something like, “Any answer I give will further divide the country and my job is to unite the country. That’s the last I’m going to say about the situation until it is settled in a court of law.” 

During PR crises, PR people often are bombarded with questions that they don’t want to answer. Answering a question with “no comment” should be stricken from the PR vocabulary. Unwanted questions should be answered with a reply that connotes; “no comment” without saying “no comment,” a tactic that I suggest should be used in thorny circumstances and wrote about some years ago in an article titled, ‘How to say no comment without saying no comment.’

Answering a reporter’s question with “no comment” during a PR crisis or other sticky situations suggests two things: an admission of guilt or an attempt of hiding something, even when there is no culpability and the spokesperson is simply attempting to derail questioning on an embarrassing incidence.

In addition to giving the impression of attempting to avoid answering a question that implies individuals or entities guilt, answering a question with “no comment” often results in journalists turning to other sources for information, which can be wrong and more damaging than if the question was answered by an individual with first-hand knowledge of the situation.

“No comment” replies also can result in the dreaded “drip-by-drip” negative media coverage, which can continue for days or weeks until reporters obtain the information that they originally requested.

Below are some examples of how to say “no comment” without saying “no comment.”

A good tactic of saying “no comment” without saying “no comment” to a question you don’t want to answer is to say, “The matter is still under investigation and we will answer those questions when we have all the facts.”

Another way of saying “no comment” without saying “no comment” is to say, “Our investigation in the situation is uncovering new details as we speak and I don’t want to impart information that might already be outdated. We’ll get back to you.”

Still another way of saying “no comment” without saying “no comment” is to respond with, “I’ll check on that and get back to you.

An alternative way of saying “no comment” without saying “no comment” is to put the blame on others and say our “attorneys and investigators are at this minute making certain that any information we divulge is based on facts and not conjecture. So I’ll have to pass on that question for now.”

PR people should remember that they do not have to answer reporter’s questions, but it’s better to answer with a non-answer rather than just ignore the question and call on another reporter as former President Trump has done. Also, sometimes the best tactic in certain situations is to avoid in-person questioning. There are several ways to do this and still tell your story: 1) Email comments to reporters. 2) Issue comments through a paid distribution company. 3) Post comments on a company’s web site, and 4) invite reporter’s email questions (which give you enough time to check your replies with company attorneys).

There are two other tactics that can be used that might preempt questions that you would not want to answer: 1) Begin a presser with a lengthy, detailed statement that includes only the proven facts of your choice. Doing so gives you the opportunity of answering a question by saying, “I’ve already answered that in my opening statement. If the reporter insists that your statement was incomplete and that you’re cherry picking, reply, “The statement provided all the facts we have at this time.” 

Your opening comments should also be prepared in press release format and include several quotes from different company executives about the situation. It should be distributed to all reporters at the scene and sent to target publications and TV outlets. 2) Set the ground rules for the presser by saying, “At this time we are prepared only to answer questions pertaining to … because answering questions about other aspects of the situation are still under investigation and will be made public when we are certain about the details.”

(In all situations when you tell a reporter, “I'll get back to you,” always do so, but not necessarily via telephone. Responding via an email can derail questions that might have been asked during a conversation.)

For the good of your own career, it’s important to be known as a   media friendly person and not a gate keeper. So never reply to a question, as former president Donald Trump has done many times, by belittling a reporter and claiming published articles are “fake news.” 

Remember, like you, a reporter has a job to do. The reporter’s job is to obtain facts. Yours is to present your client in the best possible light.  But that doesn’t mean that it’s necessary to create an “us against you” situation.

Be nice. Even to journalists who have reported negatively about your client and have a known agenda like those on Fox News and other right wing news outlets. Ours is a small business and you never know when you might need a reporter’s help.