As a media relations professional, you know there are certain things your spokesperson shouldn’t say to journalists during an interview. We’ve come up with six.

Don’t say:

• This isn’t newsworthy – It’s not up to you to decide what is newsworthy. The media outlet will decide that.  Your job is to deliver your core message, so go on and deliver it. Leave the judgement calls to the editors.
• Have you read my research yet? No. They don’t have to have read your book or theory before interviewing you. It’s standard practice that producers do the reading and the presenter is briefed with enough information to ask relevant questions. 
• I have no comment – This means you’re hiding something. Don’t ever say this. It just gives the journalist ammunition to hound for the truth. Try instead to move from the negative to a more manageable response. Use techniques you’ve learnt from your media training sessions.
• Ask me about this instead– Same as above. Don’t tell the interviewer how to go about their job. There are ways to intelligently point the journalists into the direction you want to go.
• Can I get the questions in advance? No you may not! Journalists are not there to do your bidding. They can voluntarily give you an idea of what the are interested in, but please don’t ask for the questions. It’s like asking to see the exam questions before you take the test. In any case, it makes for bad media to be over rehearsed. It’s your job to pay attention to your message and how you’ll deliver them. Don’t be obsessed with questions.
• Can I check your article before it’s published? I’m afraid, not! This definitely annoys journalists- probably one of the  questions that infuriates journalists the most. This question calls the journalist’s credibility into question, and portrays a lack of trust. Remember, the journalist doesn’t work for your company, and the story is not a press release. Focus on controlling what you say to a journalist and stop obsessing about the final article.

Do you have any other suggestions to share? We’d love to hear them.