--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: In dealing with the press, do yourself a…" description: "\"In dealing with the press, do yourself a favor, stick with one of three responses: (a) I know and I can tell you; (b) I know and I can't tell you; (c) ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f09/dan-rather-2779_favors_in-dealing-with-the-press-do-yourself-a_1808668.jpg" --- # In dealing with the press, do yourself a favor, stick with… ![“In dealing with the press, do yourself a favor, stick with one of three responses: (a) I know and I can tell you; (b) I know and I can't tell you; (c) I don't know.” quote by Dan Rather](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f09/dan-rather-2779_favors_in-dealing-with-the-press-do-yourself-a_1808668.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f09/dan-rather-2779_favors_in-dealing-with-the-press-do-yourself-a_1808668.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f09/dan-rather-2779_favors_in-dealing-with-the-press-do-yourself-a_1808668.jpg) > “In dealing with the press, do yourself a favor, stick with one of three responses: (a) I know and I can tell you; (b) I know and I can't tell you; (c) I don't know.” [Dan Rather](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-rather/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. When dealing with media, give clear answers: confirm, deny, or admit ignorance. **In simple terms:** Three media responses: confirm, deny, admit ignorance. Key Takeaway Use concise, honest replies. Themes media communication transparency journalism strategy Mood professional pragmatic Type instructional practical When to use this quote - press briefings - interviews - crisis communication Key Concepts public relations ethics information management Questions to Reflect On - When is it appropriate to say “I don’t know”? - How do you balance transparency with confidentiality? A Different Perspective Over‑simplicity may miss nuance. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Dealing Press](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dealing-press-600865/) [Favors](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/favors/) [I can](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/i-can/) [Knows](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/knows/) [Press Favor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/press-favor-2095658/) [Presses](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/presses/) [Response](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/response/) [Responses](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/responses/) [Responses Know](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/responses-know-2095656/) [Stick Responses](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/stick-responses-2095657/) [Sticks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sticks/) [Three](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/three/) ## Related quotes > [I've been dealing with so much press for Brooklyn, and now I am rehearsing for a play, and it is hard.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/saoirse-ronan/i-ve-been-dealing-with-so-much-press-for-brooklyn-and-now-i-am/) [Saoirse Ronan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/saoirse-ronan/) > [The best way of dealing with the press, customers, and critics is to come clean when things go wrong and admit when you make…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vivek-wadhwa/the-best-way-of-dealing-with-the-press-customers-and-critics-is-to/) [Vivek Wadhwa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vivek-wadhwa/) > [I hate dealing with the press. But I think it is a necessary evil.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-carter/i-hate-dealing-with-the-press-but-i-think-it-is-a-necessary-evil/) [Amy Carter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-carter/) > [I've been dealing with the press for 45 years. You need a very long spoon to sup with them. While you are always grateful,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joanna-lumley/i-ve-been-dealing-with-the-press-for-45-years-you-need-a-very-long/) [Joanna Lumley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joanna-lumley/) > [Al McGuire talked to me I don't know how many times about dealing with the press: "You've got to be a con man." I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bobby-knight/al-mcguire-talked-to-me-i-don-t-know-how-many-times-about-dealing/) [Bobby Knight](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bobby-knight/) > [People are more sophisticated in the way they go about dealing with the press.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bob-schieffer/people-are-more-sophisticated-in-the-way-they-go-about-dealing-with/) [Bob Schieffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bob-schieffer/) > [My youngest son's pre-school class was recently asked what their dads do for work. 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I operated on the assumption that there was an absolute scale of values against which art could be measured.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-stoppard/i-was-an-awful-critic-i-operated-on-the-assumption-that-there-was-an/) [Tom Stoppard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-stoppard/) > [Except under rare circumstances, I don't write responses to criticism.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-p-huntington/except-under-rare-circumstances-i-don-t-write-responses-to-criticism/) [Samuel P. Huntington](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-p-huntington/) > [There are two responses to really awful things. One is to lament and say, "Oh my God, oh lord." And the other is to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-mcbride/there-are-two-responses-to-really-awful-things-one-is-to-lament-and/) [James McBride](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-mcbride/) > [The best strategy relies upon an unlimited set of responses.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/morihei-ueshiba/the-best-strategy-relies-upon-an-unlimited-set-of-responses/) [Morihei Ueshiba](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/morihei-ueshiba/) > [Although our inattention can contribute to our lack of total well-being, we also have the power to choose positive behaviors and responses. 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Our own history has shown that we… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-rather/i-nclusion-not-assimilation-should-be-the-key-concept-in-seeking-ever/) [Dan Rather](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-rather/) > [One of the most important roles of our journalists is to be watchdogs.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-rather/one-of-the-most-important-roles-of-our-journalists-is-to-be-watchdogs/) [Dan Rather](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-rather/) > [ He \[Mikhail Gorbachev\] has, as many great leaders have, impressive eyes…There's a kind of laser-beam stare, a forced quality, you get from Gorbachev that… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-rather/he-mikhail-gorbachev-has-as-many-great-leaders-have-impressive-eyes/) [Dan Rather](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-rather/) > [I have tried to remain a working, cutting-edge journalist and I don't do it the way everybody else does it. 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Houston was a segregated society, as was Texas as a whole - some…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-rather/covering-the-civil-rights-movement-was-a-mind-and-eye-opener-for-me/) [Dan Rather](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-rather/) > [Those market researchers... are playing games with you and me and with this entire country. Their so-called samples of opinion are no more accurate…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-rather/those-market-researchers-are-playing-games-with-you-and-me-and-with/) [Dan Rather](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-rather/) > [Don't taunt the alligator until after you've crossed the creek.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-rather/don-t-taunt-the-alligator-until-after-you-ve-crossed-the-creek/) [Dan Rather](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-rather/) > [College is like a woman: you work so hard to get in, and nine months later you wish you'd never come. 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