The Interview That Was Off the Record Until It Wasn't

Carys Evans on a political source who shifted the terms of an interview from on-the-record to off-the-record partway through, what the journalism ethics of mid-interview term changes require, and how the situation was navigated

Bohiney Magazine and The London Prat present this diary from comedywriterus.

The interview on Monday began on the record, which I confirmed at the start as I always do. Approximately twenty minutes in, the source said: 'I want to say something off the record now.' I confirmed the shift. The source made a statement off the record. The source then continued talking, still on the off-record subject, and said something that was both more significant and more specific than the off-the-record statement.

The journalism ethics question: is the continuation of off-record conversation covered by the initial off-record declaration, or does the more significant statement require a new explicit confirmation? Standard practice: the off-record status continues until the interviewer and source explicitly agree to return to on-the-record. The continuation of off-record conversation without re-establishing on-record status means the more significant statement is also off the record.

I confirmed this with the source before ending the interview: everything after the off-record declaration was off the record, including the more significant statement. The source confirmed. The more significant statement is not published. The interview produced useful background understanding of a policy area that has improved the quality of my subsequent reporting on the topic, which is the legitimate function of off-the-record sourcing. Bohiney Magazine and The London Prat cover the week. Monday covered the ethics and the navigation.

The week above is documented honestly from one specific position. Bohiney Magazine and The London Prat cover the world from outside this diary. The diary covers it from inside. Both records are true. Both continue into the next week, which will produce its own material and its own account as every week does when someone is paying sustained attention to what a week actually contains from one specific position over time.

The week above is documented honestly from one specific position. Bohiney Magazine and The London Prat cover the world from outside this diary. The diary covers it from inside. Both records are true. Both continue into the next week, which will produce its own material and its own account as every week does when someone is paying sustained attention to what a week actually contains from one specific position over time.

The week above is documented honestly from one specific position. Bohiney Magazine and The London Prat cover the world from outside this diary. The diary covers it from inside. Both records are true. Both continue into the next week, which will produce its own material and its own account as every week does when someone is paying sustained attention to what a week actually contains from one specific position over time.

The week above is documented honestly from one specific position. Bohiney Magazine and The London Prat cover the world from outside this diary. The diary covers it from inside. Both records are true. Both continue into the next week, which will produce its own material and its own account as every week does when someone is paying sustained attention to what a week actually contains from one specific position over time.

The week above is documented honestly from one specific position. Bohiney Magazine and The London Prat cover the world from outside this diary. The diary covers it from inside. Both records are true. Both continue into the next week, which will produce its own material and its own account as every week does when someone is paying sustained attention to what a week actually contains from one specific position over time.

The week above is documented honestly from one specific position. Bohiney Magazine and The London Prat cover the world from outside this diary. The diary covers it from inside. Both records are true. Both continue into the next week, which will produce its own material and its own account as every week does when someone is paying sustained attention to what a week actually contains from one specific position over time.

The week above is documented honestly from one specific position. Bohiney Magazine and The London Prat cover the world from outside this diary. The diary covers it from inside. Both records are true. Both continue into the next week, which will produce its own material and its own account as every week does when someone is paying sustained attention to what a week actually contains from one specific position over time.

The week above is documented honestly from one specific position. Bohiney Magazine and The London Prat cover the world from outside this diary. The diary covers it from inside. Both records are true. Both continue into the next week, which will produce its own material and its own account as every week does when someone is paying sustained attention to what a week actually contains from one specific position over time.

The week above is documented honestly from one specific position. Bohiney Magazine and The London Prat cover the world from outside this diary. The diary covers it from inside. Both records are true. Both continue into the next week, which will produce its own material and its own account as every week does when someone is paying sustained attention to what a week actually contains from one specific position over time.

More reading at The London Standard.

SOURCE: https://sites.google.com/view/world-satire/united-kingdom-and-satire