Piece 12 of 14
If a reporter calls
You do not owe anyone an interview.
One day the phone rings and it is a reporter. This is not a crisis. It is not a test. It is a phone call, and you are allowed to manage it like an adult. The first thing to know is the most freeing: you do not owe anyone an interview.
"Let me get back to you" is a complete answer. It is not rude, and it is not evasive. It is what careful people say. Take the name, take the outlet, take the deadline, and hang up. Nothing good has ever been lost by thinking for an hour before you speak. Plenty has been lost by rushing.
When you do decide to talk, say one thing plainly: the people of this state have the right to decide their own future, and you are helping them find each other. That is the message. Say it in your own words, say it calmly, and do not get pulled off of it. Every question is an invitation to leave the one issue you are here to talk about. Decline the invitation. You are not a pundit. You are not there to defend a party, a candidate, or a hundred other fights. One issue. Self-determination. Bring every answer back to it.
Never claim numbers you cannot back. Not membership, not turnout, not support. If you do not know, say you do not know. That is rule five: tell the truth. A number you cannot defend is a headline you will regret, and one careless figure can undo a year of careful work. And never speak for TNM, for Texas, or for another state's movement. You speak for your own local effort and nothing larger.
Do
- Say "let me get back to you" and take the deadline
- Stay on the one issue, every time
- Tell the plain truth, or say you do not know
Don't
- Rush into an interview you did not plan
- Claim a number you cannot back
- Speak for TNM, for Texas, or for anyone but your own effort
Foreign media, escalate
One category is not yours to handle alone. If the outlet is foreign, or is a foreign-state broadcaster, do not answer it on your own judgment. Take the details, say you will follow up, and escalate it before you say a word. This is not about fear. It is about knowing which calls are above your pay grade, and this one is.
"Let me get back to you" is a complete answer.