New research effort examines impact of ‘no comment’ by public figures in news articles — and what can be done about it
It’s become a big contributor to the crisis of public trust in news media and is increasingly expected by journalists: public figures are regularly responding to reporters’ inquiries with “no comment.” A recent 60 Minutes segment pulled after relevant government officials refused interview requests is only the latest high-profile example of the trend and highlights its potential adverse effects on the industry.
After a landmark study of burnout in journalism that concluded in 2024, RJI is once again partnering with research firm SmithGeiger for a national survey of news professionals and — this time — members of the public to learn more about the evolving relationship between the industry and public figures. The goal is to spur the development of solutions with data on how audiences respond when news organizations disclose denied or hostile interviews.
The newsroom survey of working journalists and editorial leaders launched today, alongside a survey of 1,000 members of the public. Journalism professionals can access the survey here.
“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.”
“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? 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.”
Randy Picht, executive director, RJI
The stakes are clear. Journalism is not a court of law, in which a key missing witness causes an entire case to collapse. But when crucial sources don’t engage in the journalistic process, audiences can be left with a less-than-complete picture of the news. Developing solutions to that conundrum depends not only on how those same audiences think about “no comment” situations but on gauging their receptiveness to alternative ways of presenting and reporting the affected stories.
In addition, professional journalists and industry innovators will be surveyed on their experience with how source disengagement impacts both individual stories and the journalistic process more broadly, while researchers will also review current examples of “no comment” stories to identify the various strategies news organizations already use to address such situations in their publications.
The surveys will also go beyond refusal to comment and examine related behaviors, such as increased hostility and even aggression toward journalists from potential sources. And though researchers expect the surveys to shed more light on the many facets of the issue, some of the consequences of that hostility and disengagement are already clear.
Informing audiences about government decision making at the local, state and national levels, for example, is more difficult without lines of communication between those decision makers and journalists. The resulting information vacuum leaves the public vulnerable to misinformation from dubious sources that claim to have the answers.
Picht added that journalists aren’t the only ones with a duty to serve the public interest.
“A lot of the folks who are responding with ‘no comment’ are people who are paid by taxpayers to comment,” he said. “Directors of communications and those kinds of roles — their job is to communicate. So it’s frustrating to have people who are paid to help us not doing their jobs.”
Cite this article
Fitzgerald, Austin (2026, Jan. 20). New research effort examines impact of ‘no comment’ by public figures in news articles — and what can be done about it. Reynolds Journalism Institute. Retrieved from: https://rjionline.org/news/new-research-effort-examines-impact-of-no-comment-by-public-figures-in-news-articles-and-what-can-be-done-about-it/