On Background

On background is one of several attribution conventions journalists and sources use to negotiate how information will appear in print or broadcast. Under typical Washington and diplomatic press practice, when a source speaks "on background," the reporter may use the information and quote the source, but only with an agreed-upon generic descriptor rather than a name — for example, "a senior State Department official," "a Western diplomat," or "a person familiar with the negotiations."

The convention sits between three other common ground rules:

• On the record: everything is quotable and attributable by name and title.
• On background (sometimes called not for attribution): usable and quotable, but attribution is limited to a pre-negotiated descriptor.
• On deep background: usable as context or to inform the reporter's understanding, but not quotable and not attributable to any sourced descriptor; often surfaces as "it is understood that…"
• Off the record: not for publication at all, though it may guide the reporter toward other sources.

These terms are conventions, not legal categories, and their precise meaning is negotiated between source and reporter before the conversation begins. The U.S. State Department has long held formal background briefings for the traveling press corps, a practice institutionalized during the tenures of secretaries including Henry Kissinger in the 1970s. The White House, NATO, and the UN Secretary-General's spokesperson also routinely brief on background.

Critics argue the practice enables governments to float trial balloons, shape narratives, and shield officials from accountability — concerns raised repeatedly during coverage of the 2003 Iraq War and again during reporting on intelligence assessments in the 2010s. Defenders note that background briefings allow officials to speak more candidly about sensitive diplomacy, intelligence matters, and internal deliberations than on-the-record statements permit.

For MUN delegates and junior researchers, recognizing phrases like "a senior official said" in wire copy from Reuters, AFP, or the AP is a useful signal that the underlying source spoke on background.