Treat the bearer of bad news as if they were to blame for it.
‘I was only reporting—no point in shooting the messenger’
‘There is no time to be wasted by shooting the messenger of bad news.’
‘The British public can't allow the Labour Party to shoot the messenger of such important news.’
‘Calling them names for doing so is like shooting the messenger who brings bad news.’
‘We know that many people have an unfortunate tendency to kill the messenger who bears bad news, and sometimes it is necessary to take this tendency into account.’
‘It was much like a potentate of yore shooting the messenger carrying bad news.’
‘It is indeed a sorry state of affairs when Irish politicians resort to shooting the messenger when election results are not to their liking.’
‘If only such people could focus their energies on the real issues in society, rather than insisting on shooting the messenger.’
‘The truth hurts, but that's no excuse for trying to shoot the messenger.’
‘When people don't believe bad news, or don't want to believe it can affect them, the tendency is to shoot the messenger.’
‘If it were not for the Press, this situation could have continued indefinitely - so please don't shoot the messenger.’
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