Hard question types
Each common hard question type, what it sounds like, what it invites, and a response pattern that answers first.
Hard and unexpected questions teaches the pattern behind every row: answer the question first, then return to your point. The examples are fictional questions put to this manual’s fictional cases. Filter by tag: Premise (the question assumes something), Pressure (it pushes you to say more or say it fast), Cannot answer (the honest reply is a reason) and Live only (the setting changes what you can do).
| Type | What it sounds like | What it invites | Response pattern | Source | Where |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Loaded premise | "Why did the university let this lake turn toxic?" (to Lena; the toxin results are not in yet) | You accept the assumption by answering the question as asked. | Say the premise is wrong or not yet known, then give what is known. | CDC; SciLine | Hard and unexpected questions |
| Inflammatory words | "Is your bakery a health hazard?" (to Marcus) | You repeat the charged word, and it becomes your quote. | Restate the question in neutral terms, answer in your own words, and do not repeat the charged word. | CDC | Hard and unexpected questions |
| Either-or dilemma | "Is the lake safe, or is it poisoned?" (to Lena) | A choice between two answers when neither fits. | If neither option fits, reject both and say what you do know. | CDC | Hard and unexpected questions |
| Hypothetical | "If the results come back high, what happens to the beach?" (to Lena) | Speculation about something that has not happened. | Answer when the scenario could really happen and people need to prepare for it; otherwise say what is known. | CDC | Hard and unexpected questions |
| Speculation about cause | "What went wrong with the cooler?" (to Marcus) | A guess about why something happened. | Do not speculate. Repeat the facts and say what is being done to find out. | CDC | Hard and unexpected questions |
| Question about other people | "Local hardware stores say you undercut them. What do you say to them?" (to Dana) | Criticism of someone who is not in the room. | Speak for yourself. Do not disparage others or assign blame through the media. | CDC | Hard and unexpected questions |
| Multi-part question | "How big is it, is it toxic, who is to blame and when can people swim?" (to Lena) | A reply to the easiest part only. | Say you will take them one at a time, and answer one. | CDC | Hard and unexpected questions |
| Unverified allegation | "A customer says she got sick after eating there last week. Is that true?" (to Marcus) | A reaction to a claim you cannot check. | If you have not heard it, say so. Do not react to what you cannot verify. | CDC | Hard and unexpected questions |
| A question you cannot answer | "What does the inspection report say?" (to Marcus) | "No comment," which a story will report as a refusal. | Say why you cannot answer and what you can say instead. A reason line, not "no comment." | CDC; SciLine; NC State; AP | Hard and unexpected questions |
| "I don't know" | "How many tools haven't come back?" (to Dana) | A guess to fill the gap. | Say you do not know, and promise only what you will do, with a time. | SciLine; CDC | Hard and unexpected questions |
| Surprise prop | The reporter holds up a printout or photo you have not seen. | Comment on a document you have not read. | Do not take it. Say you have not seen it, and answer from what you know. | CDC | Hard and unexpected questions |
| Long pause or a held microphone | The reporter says nothing after your answer. | Filling the silence with more than you meant to say. | Stop talking and let the silence sit. | CDC; William & Mary; Voices | Hard and unexpected questions |
| Doorstep | A camera and a microphone, no appointment, and a question on the way in. | A reply made in the moment, on camera. | A short, calm line and a time to talk properly. | AdviceLine; BBC (UK comparison); OVC | Hard and unexpected questions |
| False claim | "People are saying the bakery has been unsafe for years." (to Marcus) | Repeating the claim in your own words. | State the fact, name the claim once, say why it is wrong, restate the fact. | Debunking Handbook; PBS Standards | Hard and unexpected questions |
Marcus Bell, a fictional baker, is asked, “Is your bakery a health hazard?” He restates the question without the charged word: the county inspection found one cooler running warm, it was repaired the same afternoon, and the health department decides when the shop reopens. Known: the inspection finding. Open: whether anything else is in the report; the health department settles it.
Most response patterns here rest on one agency’s guidance for official spokespeople, the CDC’s 2014 spokesperson chapter. This manual teaches answering honestly and then steering; it does not teach evading a question you can answer. Whether something you know is confidential or may be disclosed is for your employer, an investigator or a lawyer to say.