#2.015: Sell Me

5 Comments

1. HumalaDuck
   Posted October 13, 2012 at 1:47 AM | Permalink

   Maybe it’s just me, but I can’t help but feel that newspaper folk wouldn’t say “Honestly?” in this situation; rather “Off the record?”

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   • AsimovSideburns
     Posted October 14, 2012 at 1:45 AM | Permalink

     “Off the record” is actually supposed to mean that it can’t be used in the news story. Granted, most people don’t use it that way, which is why it can be confusing, but a reporter probably wouldn’t use it in this situation.

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     • HumalaDuck
       Posted October 16, 2012 at 1:23 AM | Permalink

       I understand the technical meaning of the term “off the record,” (sometimes it may also mean “you may quote me as an ‘anonymous source’”, but usually that has to be an implicit agreement). My point was that saying something off the record is a way for a source to give an honest answer without fear of repercussion, and seems like something newspaper folk would be more likely to use with each other than the increasingly crutch-worded “honestly”. Especially in this case, where the two reporters don’t work for the same paper, and the headline “Media Mogul’s Daughter Calls Dad ‘Prick’; Empire ‘Garbage’” would look so good splashed on a front page.

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2. Trisscar
   Posted October 12, 2012 at 8:31 PM | Permalink

   “Sell ME?” Interesting idea…..

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3. Rock
   Posted October 12, 2012 at 2:54 AM | Permalink

   Possible translations that occur to me:

   “I get to tweak your old man’s nose by hiring you, and I dislike him.”

   Or maybe: “I get to make news out of your father by publicizing the fact I employ you instead of him.”

   More positive would be: “You seem to be an earnest sort of journalist and therefore worth hiring.”

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