What should you do when you’re asked a question in a media interview you don’t know how to answer?
It is a scenario delegates on our media training courses often tell us causes them the most worry.
They fear they will seem foolish or say something that will come back to haunt them.
But what about saying “I don’t know”?
Is it ok to say you don’t know the answer to a question?
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Well, that seems to be the strategy adopted by one spokesperson this week.
During an interview with the Today programme on Tuesday, Chris Philp said “I don’t know” and “we don’t know” a staggering 18 times.
The policing minister had the poisoned chalice of doing the media rounds and defending the Government amid a growing scandal around Nadhim Zahawi’s taxes.
And claims current BBC chairman Richard Sharp was involved in helping Boris Johnson secure an £800,000 loan weeks before the former Prime Minister appointed him to the role in 2021.
You have to assume he believed ignorance and stonewalling were the best policy.
Here’s a notable exchange from the interview (which you can listen to here at about 2:10 for as long as the broadcaster makes it available)
Presenter Mishal Husain: “How can a senior member of the Government, who was not long ago running the Treasury, be careless in relation to their tax affairs? Be negligent?
Philp: “You’re inviting me to speculate about what has happened.”
Husain: “How can it be acceptable for someone who was running the Treasury to be in the position of having been careless with their tax affairs?
Philp: “I don’t know precisely what form that carelessness took. Neither do you. Nobody does. That’s why we need the investigation to find out exactly what happened.”
Husain: “He paid a penalty for it. The settlement was in the region of £5m.”
Philp: “But we don’t know exactly what happened. We don’t know what form this carelessness took. So, let’s have an investigation.”
As you can see, claiming not to know doesn’t stop the questions from coming.
This “not knowing” theme was interwoven with a need to “establish facts” and carry out an investigation.
At one point, this caused Mr Philp to claim something already confirmed needed to be established.
Husain: “Does the Prime Minister consider it acceptable for a senior member of the government to be in a position of paying a penalty to the taxman - because we know that happened?”
Philp: “I think it’s important to establish the facts.”
Husain: “That is a fact.”
This approach continued when the conversation shifted to Boris Johnson and Richard Sharp.
Here Mr Philp’s first answer began with “I don’t know”. And the same phrase was used in his second and third answers.
Make no mistake, Mr Philp was asked tough questions during a gruelling couple of hours of interviews that will probably leave him with sleepless nights. And you may feel a degree of sympathy for him facing journalist questions on two controversies.
During an interview with LBC, Nick Ferrari asked whether it was more embarrassing to have “a former Prime Minister and leader of the party who needs to use the chairman of the BBC as a financial fixer, or a former Chancellor of the Exchequer who can’t get his tax sums right.
'Which is more embarrassing a former Prime Minister using the chairman of the BBC as a financial fixer or a former Chancellor who can't get his tax sums right?'@NickFerrariLBC puts Home Office Minister Chris Philp on the spot. pic.twitter.com/GCBOsbrgmR
— LBC (@LBC) January 24, 2023
Ouch.
Lewis Goodall, a presenter on The News Agents podcast, described the interview round as a “hospital pass”. A column in The Guardian described the politician as “the broadcast-round sacrifice.”
In fairness Philp has a hospital pass. Pretty tortuous media round this morning. https://t.co/G9R9Mw0aGg
— Lewis Goodall (@lewis_goodall) January 24, 2023
But such was his reliance on not knowing – I counted another five “I don’t know” answers on Good Morning Britain - listeners and viewers were left pondering what he does know.
They might have wondered why he couldn’t have got some of the answers before he went on the airwaves. Or perhaps whether he should know a bit more about those he supposedly works closely with.
Why on earth do ministers agree to do interviews to defend someone or something when they haven’t established the facts beforehand? Do they prefer to sound ignorant or complacent? They end up complicit.
— Chris Bryant (@RhonddaBryant) January 24, 2023
Apparently Chris Philp doesn't know anything about what happened last year-In fact he knows nothing at all. Why is he on this show? #r4today
— Andy Birss (@1957AJB) January 24, 2023
Chris Philp doesn't know very much does he? He's said so several times in this interview. #r4today
— Ian MrR (@iandavid_68) January 24, 2023
So, what does this mean for other media spokespeople?
Well, during our media training, we stress spokespeople should not be afraid to say they don’t know the answer to a particular question.
Of course, we all want to appear certain when we are in front of cameras and microphones. But sometimes, no matter how thoroughly you prepare, there may be a question you can’t answer.
Saying you don’t know feels open and honest – people value honesty.
And it is far better than getting drawn into speculating or ignoring the question, which makes spokespeople appear evasive and obstructive and frustrates audiences.
We tell our media training delegates that journalists understand you may not have the answer to every question, particularly when the conversation moves away from the main theme of the interview.
But this approach must be used sparingly. Once, maybe twice.
It’s the overuse that impacts the perception of someone’s expertise. When someone is being interviewed, the audience wants to hear what they do know, not what they don’t know.
And this is why, when you say “I don’t know”, you should go on to say what you do know.
So, your answer would start something like: “I don’t know, but what I can tell you is…”.
To be fair to Mr Philp, he did try this approach in a couple of answers, but its impact was diluted by all the things he didn’t know.
So, this leaves us with one more crucial question.
Will Mr Philp change his approach the next time he is sent out for broadcast interviews to defend his colleagues?
I don’t know.
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