JANUARY 19 2023
The paradox of the “no comment”
“The company did not wish to comment”. You were reading an article on the media about the loss of X number of jobs in Luxembourg at the company Doe, and you come to this sentence. No comment… a few words -which we often find in articles reporting crises- that become paradoxical because they communicate a message, and not the right one, because they will inevitably make you think that the company has something to hide. With these few words, the company has every chance of tarnishing its image and making the public suspicious of it – just the opposite of what it wants in this era of transparency.In addition to sending the wrong message, using “no comment” prevents the company from having an opportunity to communicate. By approaching you, the journalist is offering you the opportunity to express yourself, to tell your story; so, answer their questions!
Because the company might consider other strategies: explain why it is not – at present – in a position to comment on the situation (“for legal reasons, we cannot comment”), or restate the facts (“what we know so far is…”). And in order to prove its willingness to be transparent, it is important for the company to first analyse the situation so as to be able to explain it.
Author: Jennifer Pierrard - Adapted into English by Natalia Núñez Bolaño
