In the 1990s, Bill Clinton and his media team made famous the idea of rapid response.
When the other side makes a claim against you, or there is a false narrative developing in the news media, you make every effort to challenge the information immediately and everywhere the story is being spread. Rapid response is an effort to remove any possibility that a damaging narrative might take hold.
That’s one way to handle the news media. Another approach that can work in certain circumstances, is to say nothing.
As exhibit number one we offer the media strategy of Special Counsel Jack Smith who has chosen to speak only through court filings and court appearances as he leads the multiple federal investigations into former President Donald Trump.
He has said so little that we barely know what he sounds like. He has been so unavailable to the news media that some of the most revealing video footage of him captured so far, is Smith walking on a sidewalk carrying a Subway sandwich to his waiting car.
Going against an opponent with the power of a former president with his own social media platform, Smith has managed to avoid engaging in a public debate directly with Trump or his supporters, and has placed his full faith in the strength of the evidence and the court system.
This approach applies not only to lawyers who prefer to do all their talking in court. It should be noted that there are many lawyers who believe in trying their cases in the court of public opinion.
Bottom Line: When the facts and the ultimate outcome are obvious, refusing to engage in a media debate can work for anyone. Sometimes silence is more powerful than direct confrontation.