Off the record
Off the record covers what a source tells a journalist without it being quotable. What the deal actually covers, its degrees, and why it holds.
Off the record names a deal struck between a source and a journalist before the source speaks: what is about to be said will not be published as such, or will not be attributed to the person saying it.
In professional use the term covers several degrees, better named explicitly:
- Strict off: nothing is publishable. The information only helps the journalist understand, or go and find it elsewhere.
- Not for attribution: the content can run, but the source is described rather than named — "a person familiar with the matter".
- On background until confirmed: publishable only once the information stands up elsewhere.
The deal must be struck beforehand, not after: a line let slip and then followed by "that was off the record" is not off retroactively. It carries no legal force and rests entirely on the word given — a journalist who burns an off-the-record source loses their sources, and a newsroom that does it loses its own.
Frequently asked questions
Does off the record serve the source or the reader?
Both, and that is exactly what makes it delicate. Without it, an official, an employee or a witness risking their job would not speak at all, and matters of public interest would stay buried. But anonymity also shields whoever wants to attack without owning it, or to place a self-serving message without paying its price. That is why serious newsrooms insist on knowing why the source wants off the record — and sometimes say so in the piece.
Related reading
- Primary sourceGlossary
A primary source produces the information first-hand, with no intermediary. What makes one, and why "primary" does not mean "neutral".
- ScoopGlossary
A scoop is a significant piece of information an outlet publishes first, alone in holding it. What separates a real scoop from a few minutes' head start.
- EmbargoGlossary
An embargo is a time before which information handed to journalists may not be published. What it is for, and what it does not guarantee.
- How does a newsroom work?Guides
News conference, desks, subbing, deadline: the path a story takes from the first alert through to publication, and exactly who decides what at each step of the chain.
- How do you verify information?Guides
Get back to the source, date it, cross-check, identify who's speaking: the method newsrooms use, turned into simple steps you can run yourself.