Second Thought For The Day – On-Off The Record

Are You Talking To Me?

October 30, 2025

One of the newer idiots in the Trump administration did an old stupid…sort of.

Newly-appointed, former beauty contestant and supremely albeit unsurprisingly unqualified U.S. Attorney Lindsey Halligan sent unsolicited text messages to reporter Anna Bower, which Halligan had hoped would remain private.

What caught our attention here at Paying Attention™ was other journalists finding it stupid that Halligan did not know the difference between on-the-record and off-the-record communications. Halligan, they say should have known that everything is on the record unless stipulated beforehand.

To Kick The Ass, Or Kiss The Ass, That Is The Question

It seems that we at Paying Attention™ are the only ones who recall that the highly-respected, often-deified Tim Russert turning the entire journalistic profession on its head as regards on-or-off-the-record conversations. Russert did this while testifying in the 2007 trial of Scooter Libby (who did Dick Cheney’s bidding in outing high-level covert CIA operative Valerie Plame as revenge for her husband Joe Wilson telling the truth about Saddam Hussein not having weapons grade uranium; Libby was pardoned in 2018 by guess-the-fuck-who). I. Mangrey was shouting about this for months after hearing Russert testify with this ridiculous statement:

“My personal policy is always off the record when talking to government officials unless specified.”

What the actual fuck? This asshole was proud of his access to newsmakers; access he achieved by assuring them that he would keep their secrets until they said it was okay. That is not fucking journalism. That is the opposite of journalism. Yet at the time, Russert was seen as the ultimate newsman, the Edward R. Murrow or Walter Cronkite of his day.

Fuck that shit.

This topsy-turvy turncoat bullshit became known as the Russert Rules, and all but signaled the end of real reporting.

I saw this as complete and utter bullshit when it came out. This is the exact opposite of what had always been everyone else’s journalistic standard practice. I never gave Russert an iota of respect after that moment. There was not nearly enough outrage or pushback at the time, presumably due to Russert’s standing, and clearly the whole episode has been buried in the American media’s memory pit.

Of course today, the new Russerts simply keep things secret until they themselves decide to divulge them once they can get them published in a book. Who needs a critical scoop headline that might save lives or, you know, our democracy, when you can hide that scoop until such time as it can make you untold amounts of personal wealth? I’m talking to you Bob Woodward and Maggie Haberman, among others.

This has been your Paying Attention™ Second Thought For The Day.