Some of you have been nice enough to write to me and say, Wow, TJ so much good information here. You're brilliant. I love your brilliant insights. Here's the thing. I'm not brilliant at all. I've learned the hard way I've learned by doing these things the wrong way.
25 Years ago, I was a press secretary for a member of Congress in Washington, DC that was working in the Capitol one day, all of a sudden, the phone rings. It's a reporter from a newspaper, The Hill, it follows all the legislation and inner workings of Washington politics. And the reporter said, TJ, couple questions for you to have a minute. Sure. TJ I'm unclear about the congresswoman's legislation, hr 1400 is unclear to me and I said, Yes, hr 1400 is unclear. It's being cleared up in committee, and when it does, you'll realize it does X and Y and Z and I simplify It reporter was very pleasant, thankful.
Appreciative. said Ah, thanks so much TJ, you're professional and I really appreciate you getting back to me quickly. Clarifying this issue. Thanks so much. hung up the phone I thought wow, I am good at my job here aren't I? This is great.
Went home that day packed my suitcase because the next day I'm going to Hawaii beautiful place I'd never been there. And I was going to go taxpayer expense because I was working for a Hawaiian member of Congress. So I go in, I packed my bathing suit, my Hawaiian shirt, sunglasses suntan lotion, come into the Capitol the next day carrying my suitcase. There on my desk was the newspaper. There in the front page was the story. Skim down a paragraph.
There's my name. According to press spokesperson TJ Walker quote hr 1400 is unclear. End quote. Page d 27. This is back still in their actual newspapers not online. There's a few more quotes of me, but it was on page 27.
Nothing bad. there on the front page. It's a quote from me saying my boss's legislation was unclear. Sit down few minutes. buzzer rings on my phone said chief of staff. TJ wants to come on here.
Okay, good news. And I got bad news. The good news, you're all packed. That's great. The bad news. You're not going to Hawaii or anyplace else.
You're fired. get the heck out of here, kicked out of the office. That was the end of my career in that office. So what happened? I violated the fundamental principle. I used someone else's negative words.
I rebutted the premise. And I use negative words. When I said hr 1400, the name of the legislation was unclear. That's an attack. Unclear, was the reporter's word not mine. But I set it so it was perfectly legal, ethical, and justified for the reporter to use it.
And it's my own fault. That's what got me fired. So for people who are nervous about dealing with the media, it's perfectly rational. To be nervous people can lose their careers they can be fired. So I rebutted the reporters premise. I used the reporters words, I had negative words attacking words, which made it a soundbite.
So it's not just that I was off message. was off message with a sound bite and it was only a couple of words. But that's all it takes. So that's why I'm glad you're here because smart people don't learn from their own mistakes. They learn from other people's mistakes. So I'm glad you were here to learn from my mistakes because I certainly hope you never have anything like that happen to you.
I'm hoping that you always get the exact message you want. The exact sound like you won't do that. And no one's going to be kicking you out of the office or fire radio.