By Jennifer Miller and Gil Rudawsky
There is reputational risk attached to “going off the record” with a reporter. To shed light on how journalism works, The New York Times offers a series of short posts that explains some of its practices.
Here is a behind-the-scenes look about how they cover breaking news and how its editorial board works. They also offer insight into how the paper uses anonymous sources and what “off the record” really means.
Here are some highlights:
“Off the record,” “on background,” “not for attribution,” “embargoed,” “for planning purposes only,”: There is no universally agreed-upon meaning for many of these terms, making it difficult to sketch out even working definitions. So, you must work it out with your sources about how you want to proceed and do so in clear language so there’s no misunderstanding.
At Rockford Gray, we provide a discussion of media literacy during our media and crisis trainings. We say, as a best practice, it is rarely a good idea to go “off the record” with reporters. The decision to go “off the record” requires forethought and strategy. There is a risk. You will want to make sure you have a good working relationship, that you have some leverage that will ensure they honor your decision to go off the record and they have agreed to it ahead of time.
As reporters, we respected getting off the record information, and that information often helped accurately shape our stories. We valued our credibility. Reporters who violated the off the record agreement and used the confidential information lost their source’s trust.
As PR practitioners, working on behalf of our clients, we have seen first-hand how sharing off the record information with the media can backfire. Sometimes the confidential information slips into a reporter’s story by accident, other times the agreement is completely ignored.
Here’s how the Times explains “on background”:
“On background” is understood to mean that the information can be published, but only under conditions agreed upon with the source. There are good reasons for this — government employees share news-making documents that they would only volunteer without a name attached or a police investigator shares information that helps the reporter provide a clear picture of events.
Media training helps clients better understand how the media works and how they can confidently and competently tell their organization’s story. Want to learn more? Contact us.
About the Authors:
Jennifer Miller is a seasoned media trainer and public speaking coach with over 15 years of journalism experience, including seven at CBS News. Known for her disarming style and tough questions, she reported on major events like the Olympics, 9/11, and Hurricane Katrina. Her firsthand understanding of how reporters think makes her an exceptional crisis management counselor. At Rockford Gray, she coaches clients on media, presentation, and crisis response. Jennifer holds a master’s in organizational leadership from the University of Denver and a journalism degree from the University of Minnesota. She is certified in crisis communication and DEI in the Workplace and is a sought-after speaker.
Gil Rudawsky specializes in issues and reputation management, and crisis communication. He began his career as a reporter in Aspen, Colo., and journalism took him across the country and then back to his native Denver, Colorado, where he worked for the Rocky Mountain News. His journalistic skills – source development, research, credibility, storytelling, and curiosity – remain the foundation of his work with clients. He has experience working on a range of issues across sectors, including federal investigations, corporate and workplace issues, DEI and public advocacy campaigns. He provides expert-level strategic counsel, including on-the-ground support. He is a graduate of the University of Southern California, with a degree in philosophy.