Since you're entertaining WWHL questions....what do you think of GA issuing basically a non-answer on the DD relationship question? Is it a smart move PR-wise because it makes it harder to characterize her response? In general, when might it be smart to avoid answering a question to which you have answered "no" in the past? I just don't understand the arc of her communication choices on this topic. :-/
I talked to this a bit today but I think this question digs a little deeper, so let’s break it down…
PR-wise, one should never venture away from key messages - regardless of how many times the question is asked. There is never a point where you should start providing a different answer (unless the messaging/status has actually changed and you want to convey that) and I would definitely never advise to just not answer, period. (There are certain times where, legally you simply can’t comment…but that is a different story.)
If Gillian were actually receiving PR counsel on how to deal with David-related questions, I believe she would lean more on her key messages; therefore, my personal opinion is that she is not being advised on it. My guess is that Gillian doesn’t feel like David-questions are a crisis situation and she can handle them just fine on her own, thank you very much.
In such a case, I am in the same boat as you because there is no PR strategy to analyse; therefore, we can just speculate about what is happening in Gillian’s head. As I said in my previous anon, Gillian did NOT want to answer that question about David on WWHL. She wasn’t flustered. She didn’t seem terribly surprised. In quite a calculated manner, she moved the conversation forward without answering. Why she chose to do that is anyone’s guess. ;)