Mister No Comment

Not too long ago, I responded to a query from a reporter who had asked for my company to comment on a recent industry development.

I looked into the situation and shared that, unfortunately, we couldn't help her on this story and listed the reason why. Within minutes, she fired back an email thanking me for the reply and adding something along the lines of "I figured as much; just wanted to give you the opportunity to respond."

That's quite often the way things play out in many aspects of journalism, including business reporting. Most seasoned reporters know that the PR rep is not usually the person to break exclusive news to them (unless of course it's in their clients' best interests). We may be able to provide context and additional color. We may also be able to connect them with experts who can bring them closer to the subject matter. In some cases, we may even be able to go "off the record" and give helpful background.

Nine times out of 10... that's where the buck stops.

But that one time out of 10? It's possible the PR rep may be able to go above and beyond, helping to bridge the gap between the reporter's question and the correct answer. And that's why most reporters will always attempt to get to every side of the story (well, that and to be as balanced as possible). You never know unless you ask the question, right?

I've been on both sides of those conversations: as the reporter hoping that contacting the PR rep will pay off, and as said PR rep having to say no to a reporter's query. Whenever possible, I give a rationale for why we can't participate - there are a variety of reasons ranging from legal to regulatory, and from protecting competitive intelligence to waiting for the optimal timing to share information with the public. I may not always be as specific as I'd like to be... but I do try.

And that brings me to a character I used to call "Mister No Comment."

It was the early 2000s, and I was still relatively new to the world of business reporting. In the case of one company, there was a PR rep I would reach out to frequently. While I'm intentionally his name and employer... this was a communications veteran who had seemingly been in the same role for many, many, many years.

How many years? I'm not saying he was old... but his first press release was published on a tablet. A stone tablet.

How old was he? He was once offering media availability for President Truman.

I'm not saying he was old, but the only members of the media he acknowledged were The Oxford Gazette, The Evening Sun and The Chicago Daily Telegraph.

He helped invent the "inverted pyramid" style of reporting... while the actual pyramids were still being built.

(Thank you; thank you. I'll be here all week. Don't forget to tip your server.)

Quite often, Gramps would return my message within the same day (or 24 hour period) and like clockwork, he would respond with a very straightforward "Sean, we have no comment on that."

No explanation was ever given, and to be fair... most of the time, I never asked for one. But the mere fact that PR Pappy used the tried and true "No comment" every single time I inquired was somewhat memorable.

You're telling me Father Flack couldn't throw in a "We don't comment on rumor or speculation" or "We intend to vigorously defend ourselves..." here or there to keep things fresh???

A couple of years later, I was no longer writing about the company but was asked to fill in for a colleague. I called Pa Publicity on the news of the day and -- like no time at all had passed between two old friends -- he responded with "Sean, we have no comment on that."

"How come?" I asked this time.

He laughed. I got Mister No Comment to laugh! A brief pause and then... "Sean, we have no comment on that."

Perhaps I could have pushed further. I could have been a wiseass and asked "Is there anything you WILL comment on?" But at the end of the day, Mister No Comment had a job to do.

And now that the roles are reversed (and I'm quickly catching up to his age), I unfortunately understand that job. Some days, more than I'd like to.

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