The magic record

The news that, in publishing Obama aide Samantha Power's opinion of Hillary Clinton as a "monster," The Scotsman newspaper wilfully printed an "off the record" comment doesn't seem to have gone down too well. Of course, the paper's gloating over Power's subsequent resignation probably hasn't helped their cause. But the reification of the system of on/off the record comments as law isn't all that appropriate, either.

The system itself is fairly uncomplicated. But aside from the on or off the record split, there's a third strata to these media manners, namely "on background," whereby a source may be referred to but not directly quoted. It is through this avenue that I can report an anecdote relayed to me by a former political consultant on the 2008 primaries trail.

Back in the days before he became a liability to the Hillary campaign, Bill Clinton was flying into one state when the airport was hit by a large blizzard. One over-zealous journalist saw fit to e-mail the Clinton team to check the tail number on the plane – so as he could file a story quickly in the event of the plane crashing on the icy runway. Oddly enough, the team weren't at all thrilled by this request and the journalist in question was invited for an "off the record" chat. What ensued might have been reported as a thorough bollocking, but the prior stipulation meant that it never was reported since, in doing so, the journalist in question would have been shut out from all further comment.

As the consultant pointed out, these agreements mean reporters and campaign teams can have some pretty firm exchanges without fear of reprisals. In any other context, the time reporters and politicians spend with each other during campaign months might seem excessive. And like any common-or-garden shack-up, differences need to be resolved, at times vigourously, for the system to run at all. The facility to be clear about what is and what isn't quotable is a necessary part of this. Carrie Giddins, communications director for the Democratic Iowa Party during the 2008 Iowa Caucuses, tells me: "We all may work with one candidate this cycle, but I can assure you that we will be working for another candidate next cycle. When the code of understanding...is broken, it reflects poorly on everyone involved, so it is best to stay above the fray."

But ironically, this is precisely why Scotsman editor, Mike Gilson's decision to publish the "monster" quote is a sensible one. The Scotsman is not trailing the Clintons, nor is US election coverage soul of their news party. Indeed, conservative American commentator, Tucker Carlson might lament that "journalistic standards in Great Britain are so much dramatically [sic] lower than they are here," but in doing so he forgets that the on/off the record "rules" are practical rules of convenience and not of ethics. As such, they may to be stretched from time to time to prevent the relationship between journalists and politicians becoming entirely cosy. Aside from the fact that the incident in question concerns an attempted retraction in an "on the record" interview, Gilson's position at a distance from the American "fray" provides ideal leeway to balance whether the convenience of the code outweighs the public interest of the story. The idea that an editor should not have the prerogative to choose is absurd.

Sure, The Scotsman's move might come back to nip them. A fearsomely intelligent woman, Samantha Power's career in politics is by no means over and neither she, nor her colleagues, are likely to offer up any news nuggets to the Scotsman group any time soon. But politicians and public figures are equally beholden to journalists. Manchester United manager Alex Ferguson might refuse to speak to the BBC, but his wheeling out of assistant Carlos Queiroz for interviews shows a tacit acceptance of the need to get the message out, whether it be from his mouth, or from his mouthpiece.

The Scotsman will continue to cover the US elections. The Democratic primaries race will barely skip a step. And the journalists closest to that race will continue along the on/off the record lines because it is a system which works and one which fosters good journalism. That doesn't make it a fait accompli.