Comments on: Does Game Change Mark The End Of ‘Off The Record’? http://www.mediaite.com/online/does-game-change-mark-the-end-of-off-the-record/ Mediaite Fri, 10 Feb 2012 19:29:00 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=2012.06 By: TfT http://www.mediaite.com/online/does-game-change-mark-the-end-of-off-the-record/#comment-17511 TfT Wed, 13 Jan 2010 22:01:28 +0000 http://www.mediaite.com/?p=69906#comment-17511 I think in the long run, after the initial "enthusiasm" this book will be relegated to nothing more than a large collection of gossip. I would also guess that the authors did themselves more harm than good because of the non-attribution and any future attempts to get good info will be met with silence. I think in the long run, after the initial “enthusiasm” this book will be relegated to nothing more than a large collection of gossip. I would also guess that the authors did themselves more harm than good because of the non-attribution and any future attempts to get good info will be met with silence.

]]> By: Tommy Christopher http://www.mediaite.com/online/does-game-change-mark-the-end-of-off-the-record/#comment-17486 Tommy Christopher Wed, 13 Jan 2010 19:44:27 +0000 http://www.mediaite.com/?p=69906#comment-17486 This is really pretty simple. Unless Reid asked for his comments to be off the record AND the authors agreed, Reid's "impression" is irrelevant. If a source blurts something out like "Off the record, I killed JFK," if I didn't agree first to the OTR treatment, then it's up to me whether I want to use it. If the quote is newsworthy enough to justify possibly losing that source in the future, then it gets used. Attribution is a lot more complicated. I agree that the attribution in this book is well below what would get past most news editors, which is thorny because now, the book is being reported on. This is really pretty simple. Unless Reid asked for his comments to be off the record AND the authors agreed, Reid’s “impression” is irrelevant. If a source blurts something out like “Off the record, I killed JFK,” if I didn’t agree first to the OTR treatment, then it’s up to me whether I want to use it. If the quote is newsworthy enough to justify possibly losing that source in the future, then it gets used.

Attribution is a lot more complicated. I agree that the attribution in this book is well below what would get past most news editors, which is thorny because now, the book is being reported on.

]]>