Public figures are regularly responding to reporters’ inquiries with “no comment.” How do audiences respond when news organizations disclose denied or hostile interviews?

The Reynolds Journalism Institute (RJI) at the Missouri School of Journalism, in partnership with research firm SmithGeiger, have conducted a new national study examining the impact of “no comment” by public figures in news articles. The report includes insights from surveys of more than 1,000 news consumers and 200 journalism professionals. 

In April 2026, the white paper, based on responses from active and former journalists, will be available here, and the data will be available to researchers nationwide. Contact rji@rjionline.org to learn more.

“When people see ‘no comment’ in a story, do they think the reporter is just being lazy, or do they think we’re not cooperating?” said Randy Picht, executive director of RJI. “On the newsroom side, how does this affect you doing your job? The experiments that come out of this are going to be research-based around potential solutions.”