Rules of “Off the Record”

“Off the record” has always been a risky thing to say to a reporter. It is unfair and can be interpreted as manipulative. Under the traditional rules of journalism, when someone says, “off the record,” in advance of what they say, the journalist is honor-bound not to use anything that is said. It, consequently, begs the question … why does anyone say “off the record” unless their intention is manipulative or negative.

But, when someone makes a statement to a reporter, and adds, “oh, that’s off the record,” after the statement, all bets are off — the reporter is free to use what is said because the rules were established after the comment. Such is the case of presidential candidate Obama’s foreign policy advisor, Samantha Power, who referred to presidential candidate Clinton as a “monster,” and then told the reporter that her comment was off the record.

My counsel is to stick with the purpose of the interview (Power was promoting her new book) and stay on message and … stay on the record.

The British journalist - Gerri Peev - who wrote the story and quoted Power was interviewed by MSNBC, and it’s quite interesting. Click here for a link to the video.

It’s a curious world we live in today …