off

Definition: Comments made by a personality which are used, without the source being specifically cited by the journalist who recorded the comments. The “off the record” is said to be “simple” when the journalist mentions the author of the comments anonymously (“from a government source”, “we tell the Ministry that…”); the off is said to be “background” when the subject provides additional interpretation and the journalist takes it on his own in order to “cover” his source; finally, the off is said to be "deep background" if the journalist must refrain, to maintain the confidence of his informant, to report his words, in any form whatsoever. In relations between the press and politicians, these "offs" are rarely trivial. They can indeed be used to orient an article, an interview or an editorial by a journalist.