Is it okay to ignore a journalist? Now, this idea was prompted by a LinkedIn post I read recently by a comms professional and this guy, let’s call him Dave, had really got his pants in a bunch over this topic. He said he’d been involved in the final stages of a big business deal with a tech company. Someone had leaked the deal before it had been signed, and to get to the point, a journalist had called and said,

“I need you to confirm or deny this story by my deadline.”

And that had sent him into a complete tailspin. Now, it always baffles me how panicky people get when they’re approached by journalists.

Journalists are not the police

Let’s get something straight. Journalists are not the police. A flash of a press pass does not mean you need to spill your guts and tell them everything you know. Journalists are just nosey members of the public. And I know because I used to be one.

Yes, they sometimes get granted special access by the police courts in politics, for example, but they are no different to you and I, and they can’t command you to say anything. So our example, Dave, who actually went on to say that he’d been told by his boss to lie to the reporter, need not have said anything at all. He could have just ignored that pushy, “Confirm or deny by my deadline” request.

The reason being, it was a commercially private deal at a sensitive point. Neither business was in the public sector. Neither was it government-owned. There was no public interest and no public right to know. In fact, if there were businesses with shareholders, there would be rules to say nothing until shareholders and the stock market had been informed first.

Building your personal brand so journalists find you first. In this episode of the Media Training Podcast, Steve Blears is joined by former BBC Business News presenter, broadcaster, author and confidence expert Penny Haslam to explore how to make yourself visible and credible before the camera starts rolling.

Together they unpack what it really means to build your personal brand off-camera — the kind of presence that makes journalists take you seriously when they come knocking. Drawing on their years as BBC journalists, Steve and Penny explain how producers search for new voices and why being easy to find, clear about your expertise, and visibly active online can make all the difference.

It’s a lively, honest conversation about showing up consistently online, staying authentic and being contactable when opportunities arise. Whether you’re a business leader, spokesperson or comms professional, this episode will help you become the kind of expert journalists want on their list.

Media interview quick-start guide.
The clock is ticking and there’s no time for in-depth preparation. Don’t panic. Here’s a quick-start guide to get you through it successfully.
Here are five immediate steps to prepare for an interview.
1. When a journalist calls, clarify the basics
When a journalist calls, use it as an opportunity to prepare.
Ask who is interviewing you. Ask for the journalist’s name and the media outlet or show they represent. If you haven’t heard of them, take a moment to search online—read some of their articles or watch a clip of their show on YouTube. This will give you a sense of their style and the types of questions they ask.
What is the topic? Get a clear idea of the subject matter they want to discuss. You need to know the angle they’re pursuing. They won’t give you questions in advance, but now is the time to drill them about the specific angle they are after.
When is the interview? Confirm the time and whether it’s live or pre-recorded. For live interviews, you’ll need to be concise and on-point—there’s no room for edits. Pre-recorded interviews may allow some flexibility, but remember that only select clips will be used. Understanding the format helps you tailor your approach and manage your preparation time effectively.
And here’s something to ask the journalist that’s really useful:
“What’s the news angle today?”
That helps you understand what they’re going to focus on and where their line of questioning will likely go. It also gives you a moment to pause and get your head together before answering.

How to hold a press conference. A press conference is about efficiency – getting your message out to as many journalists as possible, as quickly as possible.

It saves everyone a lot of time and energy.. Instead of fielding dozens of individual calls and interviews, you set the record straight in one go.

For example, I’ve been to press conferences where the police give updates on major criminal investigations or conclusions to high-profile court cases.

The chief detective will sit behind a desk, delivering key facts and answering a limited set of questions.

Alternatively, big corporations like Apple turn what are effectively press conferences into a spectacle, making them the centrepiece of product launches.

So whether it’s a crisis, a breaking news event, or a major company announcement, press conferences work because they give journalists a single source of reliable information.

Is It time for a media training refresher?
Media training isn’t like riding a bike. You don’t just do it once and expect to stay sharp forever.
If you’ve had media training before, whether it was last year or back when TV screens were still square, you might be wondering,

“Do I really need to do it again?”

Short answer? Probably.
Long answer? Let’s find out.

Media opportunities don’t come along every day. And when they do, you want to nail them – not sit there thinking, Oh no, I should have prepped for this. So, before you find yourself in front of a microphone, take a moment to check in with yourself.

Read through the questions below and be brutally honest. If any of them make you hesitate, it might be time for a refresher.
When Was Your Last Media Training?
Be honest, was it years ago? Did you do a quick one-off session, tick the box, and move on?

We meet plenty of people who had media training in a different job, a different decade, or a completely different world of work.

They vaguely remember sitting through a session, maybe answering a few practice questions and then never touching it again.

And that’s fine, except the media moves fast. The way we communicate, the way interviews are done and even the platforms people use have changed dramatically.

If the last time you had training was before podcasts were mainstream or before LinkedIn became a video-heavy platform, you might be relying on outdated techniques without realising it.

Think about it, if you had media training five years ago and haven’t done an interview since, how much of that training do you think has stuck? Would you feel prepared to speak with confidence if a journalist called you tomorrow?

How to get your boss on board with media appearances.

Hi I’m Steve Blears, this time on the media training podcast.

We’re discussing How to Get Your recluctant Boss, or client to say yes to Media Appearances..

Now this is a regular gripe I hear from PR professionals and heads of Comms. Requests come in from journalists but the MD, or CEO just won’t do it.

So in this episode, my best advice on twisting their arm to get involved..

I’ve got 10 super persuasive tips.

Is it okay to say “I don’t know” in a media interview? Well, the short answer is yes, but it doesn’t happen very often.

Rather than saying, I don’t know, it’s usually a good idea just to bridge onto something you do want to discuss. So you might say, that’s a good question, I don’t have an answer right now. But what I can tell you is (my key messages).

This way, you’re playing the interview game. Interviews are pretend conversations where a casual chat happens in front of tens of thousands or millions of people on air.

Saying you don’t know breaks that pretence and can feel like you’re the wrong guest or wasting everyone’s time.

We’re discussing why you should avoid repeating negative questions in media interviews. Now, I think the best way to illustrate this is with perhaps the number one example of how to get this wrong. It is very old, but it’s a brilliant example, so apologies to anyone under the age of 65.

I’ll let you Google the circumstances, but roughly speaking, in 1973, the then US President Richard Nixon was at the height of the Watergate scandal, and he said this in his defence:

Example: Nixon – I’m not a crook – 1973
Richard Nixon: “And want to say this to the television audience. I made my mistakes, but in all of my years of public life, I have never profited, never profited from public service.

I’ve earned every cent. And in all of my years of public life, I have never obstructed justice.

And I think, too, that I can say that in my years of public life, that I welcome this kind of examination because people have got to know whether or not their president is a crook.

Well I’m not a crook. I’ve earned everything I’ve got.”

Repeat a negative statement or question in the media can make it appear more believable.

How to look and sound relaxed in a media interview, performance tips. First up, performance tip No.1 is don’t speak too fast. This is a common problem and it’s completely understandable. You’ll be highly adrenalised especially if you are new to performing on TV, radio or podcasts.

Many people feel like they’ve got to fill airtime and get the whole experience over as soon as possible. Some people gabble, hardly take a breath and just keep going.

From a performance aspect, this leaves the impression that you are very nervous, and you probably are!

Slowing your delivery slightly, taking a beat between sentences, allowing time to take a breath can solve this.