“We’re not Big Brother.” That’s the money quote from Flock Safety CEO Garrett Langley in a recent media interview.

I’ve said it before. The most common (and, arguably, the most serious) mistake spokespeople make in media interviews is repeating the reporter’s words in their answers. You don’t even need to hear the question to know it happened. Nobody writes a key message that starts with “We’re not Big Brother.”

As an executive, even when you’re refuting the premise, that quote still ends up in the story. And if it’s juicy enough, it will make its way to the headline, like it did here.

You don’t need to take my word for it. Read a newspaper, listen to the radio or watch the news. You’ll see it every day. In most cases, you can tell from the answer alone that no one would have written their message that way.