Just because you shouldn’t ever use the words “no comment”
doesn’t mean you have to reveal everything you know to every
reporter who asks. There are many times when you legitimately
cannot or should not comment on something. Here are a few
examples of times you might withhold comment: - Confidential
Employee or Patient Records: A reporter asks you for an employee
file or the health records of a patient - Competitive
Information: You work for a private company, and a reporter
wants to know something about your strategy that would give a
competitor an edge - Lawsuits: You receive guidance from your
attorney not to comment on an ongoing court case (especially
when the legal risks outweigh the risk of poor communications) -
Labor Action: Your employees are about to go on strike, but you
made an agreement with the union that neither side would
negotiate in public - Injury or Death: An employee has been
seriously injured or killed, and you want to notify the family
before confirming the news to the media In all of