The term off the record is a familiar one to readers and especially to journalists but its real meaning is often misunderstood.

Off-the-record is simply a communication that is not to be publicly disclosed.

The way it works is straightforward — a source asks a reporter if he or she can deliver information to the reporter off the record. It is then up to the reporter to agree or decline. If a reporter agrees, journalism ethics — or just ethics in general — should stipulate the reporter will not share or repeat that information. That information does not go into a story. That’s because it can’t be attributed to the sources because they were off the record.

An off-the-record conversation can often be a critical aspect of news gathering but it has its limits, mainly because the information can’t be used in a story. That doesn’t mean, however, that the information is useless. To the contrary, information gleaned from an off-the-record conversation can prove to be invaluable to build context for a story.

Context is crucial to any story. A shooting incident may seem cut and dried. One person shot another. Those are the facts. But an off-the-record conversation with a trusted source may reveal that one of those individuals is part of a larger, more complex story. That story may be important for readers and it gives a reporter the “heads-up” that there is probably going to be more information released on the story in the future.

Off-the-record conversations should not be used consistently. A reporter’s job is to gather information, not stow it away, and off-the-record conversations put such data on ice.

Off-the-record conversations are useful and needed but neither a reporter nor an official should rely on them entirely. A reporter can’t let a source consistently go off the record. If they do, they’ll never get their story completed.

After all, a newspaper is in the data collection and dissemination business, not the information-withholding business.

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As always, if you have comments or questions about The Observer: acutler@lagrandeobserver.com.

Finally, let me take this opportunity to once again thank The Observer’s subscribers: We simply would be unable to do this vital work without your support.

Andrew Cutler is the interim editor of The Observer.