What’s on the On, Off & Background poster
A 4-row table: Term · You may publish.
Agree the terms in advance and in writing.
- On the record — Words and name
- On background — Words, with a described role
- Deep background — The information, no attribution
- Off the record — Nothing, unless re-sourced
Definitions vary between newsrooms and countries, so state yours explicitly. The agreement applies from when it is struck, not retroactively.
Questions about the On, Off & Background poster
- What’s on the On, Off & Background poster?
- A 4-row table: Term · You may publish. Agree the terms in advance and in writing. On the record — Words and name; On background — Words, with a described role; Deep background — The information, no attribution; Off the record — Nothing, unless re-sourced. Definitions vary between newsrooms and countries, so state yours explicitly. The agreement applies from when it is struck, not retroactively.
- Who is the On, Off & Background poster for?
- On, Off & Background belongs to the Communications & Media section rather than to a school year, because humanities is not something one grade owns. Anyone learning journalism can pin it up — a beginner, a student mid-course, or someone revising years later.
- When should you use the On, Off & Background poster?
- Before an interview begins, so both sides mean the same thing by the words. A wall chart earns its place by being glanceable from where the work is happening, so On, Off & Background belongs on the wall where that humanities work actually happens, within glancing distance, rather than filed away.
- What other posters go with On, Off & Background?
- Beat Reporting, Corrections and Data Journalism sit alongside On, Off & Background in the Communications & Media section. Printed together they make a wall rather than a single sheet, which is how a reference set actually gets used.Beat ReportingCorrectionsData Journalism
- Is the On, Off & Background poster free to download and print?
- Yes. On, Off & Background downloads as a free PDF with no account, no email and no watermark, like everything else in the Communications & Media section. Print as many copies as you like for a home, a classroom, a library or a tutoring group; reselling the file is the only thing the licence rules out.Read the licence
- What size does the On, Off & Background poster print at?
- On, Off & Background is a vector PDF laid out for US Letter, and prints on A4 with Fit to page — the same file, no separate download. Because every mark on it is drawn rather than photographed, it stays sharp enlarged to A3, A2 or A1 at a copy shop. Colour carries emphasis only, so a greyscale print of On, Off & Background loses nothing.Printing guide
Related posters
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