When talking to a journalist is there such a thing as off the record?
Earlier this year I attended a PR event at which there were three senior editors from national newspapers. They told a room full of PR and communications experts that there IS such a thing as ‘off the record’
I disagree and here’s why…
First let’s investigate what ‘off the record’ actually means. Is it any of the followings?
(1) A journalist won’t attribute your name to the statement you’re making?
(2) They won’t attribute your company name to the statement?
(3) They won’t use your words at all in their piece?
(4) They won’t use the information to go off and research the story and find another person to attribute to your comments?
(5) Or perhaps it’s a combination of the above?
Best case scenario they don’t attribute you or your company to the ‘off the record’ statement you’ve made. But…
Trust me, if you give a journalist a decent lead on a story - they will do some more research on it – after all that’s why they’re journalists. It’s in their nature to want to investigate, to get answers. They are the modern day Sherlock Holmes’.
Okay, I’m no Sigmund Freud but here’s the thing. With all forms of communication there’s an inbuilt editor in our heads. Perhaps in some people it’s better than others! We continually edit what we’re saying and how we say it – whether we’re talking to friends, family, colleagues or journalists, everyone gets edited thoughts.
A lot of my friends are journalists and there are certain things that, for one reason or another, I would not share with them. Not because I don’t trust them but why should I put their ‘inbuilt editor’ under pressure?
This is not to say that you can never trust a journalist. I’m merely suggesting that you ought to be careful what you trust them with and when.
So – what does Media First advise? We advise that there’s no such thing as off the record. It’s simply safer that way!
James