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Journalism & Media vocabulary · Interviews and Quotes

Off the record

Meaning in journalism & media, with examples

phraseCore term

In journalism & media, off the record means: Said privately to a journalist on the understanding that it will not be published, or at least not linked to the person who said it.

In Turkish: kayıt dışı, yayımlanmamak kaydıyla, off the record

How it is used

Sources ask to speak off the record, and reporters agree to keep something off the record. It must be agreed before the information is given, not afterwards. Turkish journalists also use the English phrase.

Example sentences

  1. The manager agreed to talk, but only off the record.

  2. Anything he told you off the record cannot appear in the article.

Common collocations

  • speak off the record
  • an off-the-record briefing
  • go off the record
  • strictly off the record
  • on the recordSaid in a way that can be published and openly attributed to the person who said it, using their name and position.
  • on backgroundGiven on the understanding that the information can be published but the source will not be named, only described in general terms.
  • anonymous sourceA person who gives information to a journalist on the condition that their name is not published, usually because they could lose their job or be in danger.
  • source protectionThe principle, recognised in many ethics codes and laws, that journalists should not reveal the identity of confidential sources.

More terms: Interviews and Quotes

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