On or Off the Record

The term “off the record” gets used a lot in conversations by people when they talk to journalists, but it can mean different things to different people.

The general meaning is that if someone is off the record then it can be quoted as long as the source is not identified. If something is “deep background”, then it can only be used for background information.

This would work well if the term had a universal meaning. But many people think that if they are talking off the record then they are not to be quoted at all, even if they are not named.

Be Explicit 

This double meaning can lead to accusations of a betrayal of trust and the breakdown of a relationship. If they are a good contact, the best approach is to be explicit and to explain exactly what you mean by “off the record”.

This is less important for people you are unlikely to rely on for future stories. For these people, it is not unreasonable to assume that they know the rules and if they do not clarify their understanding of the definition of “off the record” then they only have themselves to blame.

Retrospectively Off The Record

If someone wants to say something off the record, then you should both agree they are talking off the record before they say it. Often, people will tell you a quote is off the record after they have said it.

If they are a regular contact or you are feeling generous then, again, you might accept this. But you are well within your rights to tell them that it is not off the record because you had not agreed it beforehand. Do not let them pressurise you unless they are a good contact you do not want to upset.

An example of this was when The Scotsman interviewed Samantha Power, an aide to Barak Obama, during the Primaries for the 2008 American election. In an interview, Power described Hillary Clinton as a "monster", before hastily adding this statement was off the record. The Scotsman went ahead and published  the "monster" comment and this led to Power's resignation.

The Scotsman was criticised by some media pundits for printing an off the record quote, but I think they were 100 per cent right to do so. As Mike Gilson, editor of The Scotsman, later put it: "I do not know of a case when anyone has been able to withdraw on the record quotes after they have been made."

In the real world, you do get situations where someone is so used to giving you off the record comments they do not even bother to mention that they are talking off the record. Again, this is ambiguous and if there is any doubt at all about the status of a conversation then you should clarify it.