A journalist has just called you. Here’s what to do next.

Your phone rings and it’s a number you don’t recognise. You answer, and someone tells you they’re a journalist. They’re writing a story about you, or your business, and they’d like a comment. Their deadline is 4pm.

It’s a horrible feeling. Your heart’s going, your mind is racing and you want the conversation to be over as quickly as possible. That’s exactly why the next ten minutes matter so much. People don’t make bad decisions in these moments because they’re stupid. They make them because they’re frightened.

Here’s what I’d want you to know.

You don’t have to answer right now

This is the most useful thing I can tell you. You’re allowed to say: “Thanks for calling. Could you send me the details by email, and I’ll come back to you before your deadline?”

That’s it. It’s polite, it’s professional and it gives you time to think. Most journalists will be fine with it, as long as you actually come back to them when you said you would. Going silent after promising a response is worse than not promising one.

What you don’t want to do is start explaining, defending yourself or arguing on that first call. Anything you say can be quoted, and the version of you that’s been caught off guard is rarely the version you want in print.

Find out what you’re actually dealing with

Before you decide anything, you need to understand the story. Ask, or ask them to put in writing:

• Which publication or programme is it for?

• What is the story about?

• What specific claims are being made?

• What’s the deadline?

• Is there anything particular they want you to respond to?

They may not tell you everything, including who else they’ve spoken to, and that’s normal. But the more you know, the better your response will be. Write down what was said while it’s fresh. Panic does strange things to memory.

Please don’t say “no comment”

I understand why people do it. It feels safe. You haven’t said anything, so nothing can be used against you.

The problem is how it reads. To most people, “no comment” sounds like you’ve got something to hide. It can also leave the other side’s version completely unchallenged, sitting in the article with nothing next to it.

There are almost always better options. A short statement saying you’re looking into it. A clear correction of one specific point. Or a polite explanation of why you can’t comment, for example because there’s an ongoing legal process. Any of those tells the reader something different from a flat refusal.

Never lie

This sounds obvious, but people under pressure lie far more than you’d think. Sometimes it’s a big denial. Sometimes it’s a small, convenient detail that makes them look slightly better.

There’s a big difference between not saying everything and saying something false. You might not be able to share certain information because of privacy, a legal case or someone else’s confidentiality. That’s fine. But if you say something untrue and it comes out later, and it usually does, the story stops being about the original issue. It becomes about the fact that you lied. That second story is much harder to recover from.

“Off the record” may not mean what you think

People throw this phrase around as if it’s a magic shield. It isn’t. Different journalists use “off the record”, “on background” and “not for attribution” in slightly different ways, and some won’t agree to it at all.

If you want to speak on those terms, agree exactly what they mean before you say anything, not afterwards. Trying to make something off the record once it’s already been said doesn’t really work.

The simplest rule is this: if you’d be devastated to see it in print, don’t say it.

Don’t rush to social media

When people feel attacked, the instinct is often to get their side out first. So they post a long, angry statement before the article has even been published.

This can make things much worse. You might draw attention to a story that would have had a small audience. You might reveal details the journalist didn’t have. And an emotional post can become a second story in its own right. Wait until you know what’s being published and have decided, calmly, whether and how to respond.

If something is wrong, be specific

If the journalist has got something wrong, tell them, but be precise. “This is all lies” gives them nothing to work with. “You’ve said this happened in March. It was actually June, and here’s the email that shows it” gives them something they can check.

Most reputable journalists want to get things right. An exact error with supporting evidence is far more likely to change what’s published than general outrage.

Know when to call a lawyer

If the claims could be defamatory, there’s an ongoing legal case, or the story involves private information, speak to a lawyer. A lawyer and a PR adviser do different jobs, and in serious situations you often need both. The lawyer tells you what you can and can’t say. I help you work out what you should say, how to say it and who needs to hear it.

Journalists aren’t the enemy

It can feel that way when you’re the subject of a story. But most journalists are doing a difficult job under real time pressure. Being polite, responsive and honest costs you nothing, and it’s often remembered. Being rude, evasive or threatening is remembered too.

That doesn’t mean you have to agree with them or make their job easy. It just means treating the conversation as a professional exchange rather than a fight.

Sometimes the best response is no response

Not every enquiry needs a statement. Occasionally a story is small, unlikely to go far, and responding would only give it more life. Choosing not to respond can be the right call, as long as it’s a decision you’ve made deliberately rather than out of panic.

If you remember nothing else

• You can ask for time. Use it.

• Find out exactly what the story is before you respond.

• Avoid “no comment” if you can give a better answer.

• Never say anything false.

• Agree any “off the record” terms before you speak.

• Stay off social media until you’ve thought it through.

Need help?

If a journalist has been in touch and you’re not sure what to do, contact us with a brief outline and the deadline. You don’t need to have it all figured out. That’s what we’re here for.