Off the record Off the record is a term used mainly in journalism to refer to information given a reporter that is not to be repeated to anyone. Communications between a news source and a journalist can be qualified as especially sensitive, via a number of conventional conditional terms: on the record, background, deep background, and off the record. Normally, a communication between a source and reporter that is off the record is one in which the speaker is requesting that: the journalist not repeat the information learned to anyone else, and that the journalist not indicate to anyone that any communication took place between themselves and the speaker. Information learned in an off the record conversation is for the reporter's benefit in finding additional leads, a suggestion for further research, or a hint on an upcoming surprise event or announcement that the reporter can be prepared for. This is also known as a "tip-off". When a tip-off has led to the uncovering of breaking news, it appears to be acceptable for the reporter to acknowledge that they received a tip-off from an anonymous source, occasionally also mentioning the affiliation of the source (such as "a government source") without specifics. In some cases, an unrestricted communication between a source and a reporter may be partially off the record. In this case, most of the conversation may be repeated (or treated under one of the other pre-arranged terms), but the portions indicated as being off the record may not be repeated or alluded to in any way, especially as having come from the conversation. Because off-the-record material is often very valuable, it is important for sources to make clear in advance or as early as possible that a communication or part of a communication is off the record. This is especially true in the age of light-speed communications, when there may be little time to declare a part of a conversation as off the record, after the fact, before the content is distributed (such as over the Internet). Reporters may also be eager to use such material that was not clearly indicated as being off the record. FAVORITE ARTICLES: History of the World    History of the United States    History of Europe    Ancient History    History    Military History    World War I    Bombing of Dresden    California    US Constitution    Frank Sinatra    Boston    Marbury v. Madison This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License at http://www.gnu.org/copyleft/fdl.html You may copy and modify it as long as the entire work (including additions) remains under this license. You must provide a link to http://www.gnu.org/copyleft/fdl.html To view or edit this article at Wikipedia go to http://www.wikipedia.org/wiki/Off_the_record