What "On the Record" Means When We Interview You

Why the phrase keeps coming up

If you have ever been asked to sit down for an interview, you may have heard the words on the record. They sound formal, and they can make a perfectly friendly conversation feel like a legal matter. They are really just shorthand for an agreement between two people about what happens to the words said.

In Community Voices, we use the phrase often because many of our guests are not used to being quoted. They are volunteers, neighbours, local makers and retirees. They deserve to know, before the first question, how their words may be used and what they can ask us to change.

This note explains the three phrases in plain terms so that nobody agrees to something they did not understand.

On the record, in plain terms

On the record means that what you say may be printed, with your name beside it. If you tell us about the winter you spent running a food cupboard, and we quote you, the quote carries your first name and the place you live or work.

It does not mean everything you say will appear. An interview can run an hour and the finished piece may use a few paragraphs. Our editors choose what fits, and we aim to keep the sense of what you meant rather than trimming a sentence into something else.

On the record also does not mean you lose the right to think again. If you realize afterwards that a remark was unfair to someone, tell us. We will talk it through with you before anything is published.

• Your words may be quoted and your name shown
• Not every answer is used
• You can raise concerns before publication

Off the record and not for attribution

Off the record means that what you say is for our understanding only. We will not print it, and we will not hint at it in a way that points back to you. It is useful when a guest wants to give background that helps us ask better questions.

Not for attribution sits in between. We may use the information, but without your name or any detail that would let a reader work out who said it. It is harder to guarantee in a small town, where a single detail can identify a person.

For that reason we ask you to say so at the moment you want a limit, not afterwards. A sentence such as this part is off the record is enough, and we will confirm it back to you.

What the editor does with your words

After the conversation we write up the interview, usually from recorded audio that you have agreed to, and we edit for length and clarity. People rarely speak in tidy paragraphs, so we remove repeated words and false starts. We do not put words in your mouth or move a remark to a different question where it would mean something else.

When a piece is close to ready, we offer to read your quoted passages back to you. This is a courtesy to check facts, such as the spelling of a street or the name of a club, and to catch anything misheard.

It is not a chance to rewrite the story or approve the whole article. Editorial decisions stay with the newsroom, and we tell you that at the start.

• Quotes are checked against the recording
• Facts such as names and places are confirmed
• The final edit rests with the newsroom

Things worth asking us first

Every guest is welcome to ask questions before agreeing. Ask how long the piece will be, where it will appear, and whether a photograph will be taken. Ask who else is being interviewed, if that matters to you.

Ask also about anything you feel uneasy sharing, such as family details or a former employer. We would rather learn about a limit early than find it after publication, when it is much harder to put right.

If you are speaking about another person, think about whether they would be comfortable being mentioned. We may decline to print a remark about someone who has not had the chance to respond.

• Where and how the piece will appear
• Whether photographs are planned
• Which topics you would rather leave out

If you change your mind

Sometimes a guest feels differently once the conversation is over. That happens, and it is a reasonable thing to raise. Contact the editor you spoke with as soon as you can, and say what you would like to change.

Before publication we can usually remove a passage, soften a detail or withdraw the interview altogether. After publication our options are narrower, though we will always listen and consider a correction where something is wrong.

The earlier you tell us, the more we can do. That is the main reason we explain these terms at the start, in ordinary words, over a cup of tea if you like.