Journalists tend to be kind and curious people, if you are a subject matter expert, you’ll see that most of them are simply trying to learn from you in order to better understand a topic. Of course, you can often avoid being asked a question you don’t know the answer to by preparing well for the interview and speaking with the journalist ahead of time about what topics the interview will focus on.

However, if you’re a subject matter expert being interviewed by a journalist, and suddenly, they ask you a question about something you have no knowledge of, what do you do?

Never guess at an answer, it can lead to the spread of misinformation and the loss of credibility on your part and the journalist’s. Instead, you can decline the question. 

 

Below is a guide on how to politely decline a reporter's question on live TV or radio with grace and confidence:

Live television or radio can be an intimidating experience, especially when you're getting peppered with questions. With live television, you get one take. So, a good rule of thumb is to rehearse your answers until you feel confident in your ability to answer concisely. However, you can also rehearse non-answers.

If you’re asked a question, you don’t know how to answer, admit it! You will sound more like an expert if you can say something like “I don’t know the exact answer to that, but I would be happy to look into it for you,” “You know that’s outside my scope of practice,” or “That’s outside my purview, but I can tell you about…” 

You can also provide an alternative source of information. For example, if they ask about something outside your area of expertise, you can say something like: “That's not my area of focus in terms of research; however, there are some great resources online that address it, you can visit the following website, or I can put you in contact with my co-worker or fellow professor.”

Most journalists will appreciate that you are being candid and truthful about your limitations instead of guessing at an answer.

To learn more about how to avoid embarassing media gaffes, check out this blog post.

Want to learn more? Book a media coaching session through our Learning Center.