shoot the messenger
US /ʃuːt ðə ˈmes.ɪn.dʒər/
UK /ʃuːt ðə ˈmes.ɪn.dʒər/
1.
to blame or punish the person who delivers bad news, rather than addressing the problem itself
:
•
Don't shoot the messenger; I'm just telling you what the boss said.
•
The manager was angry about the bad sales figures, but he shouldn't have shot the messenger by yelling at his assistant.