Steph Spyro, deputy political editor and environment editor at The Daily Express

Going 'off the record' is a standard journalistic technique. It helps potential sources to feel more at ease and speak more freely, knowing they are not being quoted. This also helps journalists better understand the story.

This is bread and butter to Steph Spyro, deputy political editor and environment editor at The Daily Express, and the author of the LinkedIn newsletter Off The Record.

She explains that sometimes, it helps to go and get coffee with a newer or less experienced contacts to build trust first. But the general expectation is that a conversation is on the record unless otherwise stated, especially with more senior politicians.

However - as many of us have encountered - sometimes the rules change mid-interview. The source reveals information, only to caveat that it's off the record and they don't wish........

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