MEMO FROM THE EDITOR
MEMO from the Editor Don't Quote Me, But.... They say the most frequently uttered falsehood in America is, "The check is in the mail." I'd guess the most frequently misunderstood—and, therefore,...
...However, a journalist offered information contingent on a pledge of nonattribution ought to think long and hard and then, in most instances, say, "Thanks, but no thanks...
...A Hennepin County jury awarded $700,000 to a public-relations agent and former political operative who was identified by The Minneapolis Star Tribune and The St...
...Egerton, whom we've known for decades as a scrupulously careful reporter, notes that the off-the-record request was made—and, quite properly, denied—after his source had made a number of revealing comments, including the one he later wished he hadn't made...
...The court decision said identifying the source was a breach of contract on the papers' part...
...and means, "Feel free to use this information and even my words, but don't let anyone know I'm the one who told you...
...b) that he held "a brief off-the-record conversation" with Egerton, and (c) that "after talking with him, I declined to be interviewed...
...All too often, neither party to an agreement to keep something off the record has a clear understanding of what it entails...
...Unfortunately, many journalists, in their eagerness to ingratiate themselves with news sources, have fallen into the practice of routinely acquiescing in such requests...
...The reporters didn't even know what the story was when they accepted a sealed envelope in exchange for a pledge of confidentiality...
...The story involved an allegation that a candidate for state office had been convicted, twelve years previously, on a minor shoplifting charge...
...Henry Kissinger, in his days as Secretary of State, raised this sort of manipulation to a high art, and his successors have done their best to follow his example...
...Editors overruled that pledge...
...But these days, "off the record" is most commonly synonymous with "don't quote me, but...
...But there are circumstances when it is reasonable for a source to request the protection of nonattribution, and for a reporter to grant such a request...
...More often, off-the-record material is intended for a journalist's background guidance and, if published, should be verified by other sources to whom it can be attributed...
...What brings these thoughts to mind is a recent Minnesota court decision that has sent American journalism into a tizzy...
...Reporters for the two papers had promised to keep the identity of their source confidential...
...When news sources hide behind a screen of anonymity to avoid being held responsible for their statements, a self-respecting journalist should refuse to play the game...
...The source (and successful plaintiff) worked for the oppposing candidate...
...Freed from accountability for their words, news sources can palm off falsehoods and distortions without fear of effective challenge...
...In the article that begins on Page 12 of this issue, Karen Franklin tells of some Federal whistle-blowers who were hounded out of their jobs when their supervisors learned they had disclosed serious abuses to the press and regulatory agencies...
...If I were a reporter and my editors betrayed me in that fashion, I'd quit on the spot...
...Obviously, a reporter who enters into such an agreement of confidentiality can subject the reading, viewing, or listening public to outrageous abuse...
...For government officials, politicians, and others who deal regularly with the press, putting things off the record has become a reflex action—a nervous tic that precedes almost every sentence uttered aloud...
...In a letter published elsewhere in this issue, one of the sources quoted in John Egerton's July article, "Poverty Palace," complains that (a) he did not make a remark attributed to him...
...But it was unconscionable of their editors to go back on the promise...
...In its strictest sense, information conveyed on an off-the-record basis is for the recipient's eyes or ears only, and not to be shared in any way with the public at large...
...I'd guess the most frequently misunderstood—and, therefore, misused—statement is, "This is off the record...
...And if I were an editor whose reporter had shown such casual contempt for the people's right to know where information comes from, I'd find me another reporter...
...In those circumstances, it was stupid of the reporters to promise to protect their source...
...In that case and in others where vital public information can only be obtained on a not-for-attribution basis, confidentiality can certainly be justified...
...Paul Pioneer Press Dispatch as the source of a story they had published...
Vol. 52 • September 1988 • No. 9
