Yesterday, I did a webinar on media relations, that is, how to work effectively with the media. The question most on folks’ minds was how to go off the record with a reporter.
“I’ll Tell You But You Can’t Use It”
When I was a reporter in the late 1980s, the rule of thumb was to get your story on the record whenever possible. As one editor of mine used to say, “the only people who don’t know who the ‘sources close to the president are’ are members of the general public.
So my advice is this: if you want to go off the record, maybe you should first think about whether you should be saying anything at all.
That being said, there are instances where being an anonymous source makes sense–to correct inaccurate information or stop false rumors about a client who doesn’t want you talking to the press or to communicate important information that for whatever reason you can’t openly provide. If you are going to go off the record, here are some tips:
1) Be clear about why and what the advantage is to you to go off the record and why you can’t have information attributed to you.
2) Be sure that you have developed a relationship of trust with the reporter and that whatever terms you negotiate with the reporter will be honored.
3) Before providing any information, define the terms of “off the record” Even reporters themselves disagree the definition of “off the record,” “on background,” or “deep background.” So make it clear what you think off the record is–”you can use the information but not attribute it to me,” or ” this is background to help you understand this issue but you can’t publish this ever” or “I’m giving you a tip and it’s up to you to verify the accuracy of the information but you can’t tell anyone who tipped you off.”
