My dad worked in state government when I was a kid...

My dad worked in state government when I was a kid. Watching the way the papers savaged him whenever he came to their attention was an early clue. It was stupid stuff, too. He once made the mistake of saying, "I'm afraid I have nothing to say" which was reported as "So and So -- Afraid to Talk!" (As he told me at the time, this is why people say "no comment" robotically when confronted. Anything other construction is dangerous).So I never developed the habit.