# data[].attributes.body
Be brief, get factual data and keep the tone positive.

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Have a one-page fact-sheet available so that basic information is not open to interpretation.

Keep the length of the background briefing to 30 minutes maximum.

Respond to questions, but do not turn the briefing into a Q&A session or an interview.

Keep the tone civil even if the journalists begin pushing aggressively.

Manage your image: tone of voice, body language, physical expression.

Maintain a sense of empathy even when giving data.

Avoid jargon.

Do not agree to off-the-record comment, as the RC will be too readily identifiable.

Do not permit the briefing to be recorded or photographed.

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Ground rules:
-Respond to media inquiries.
-Study the facts and the briefing notes prepared before the interviews.
-Ensure that you don't answer any questions that do not pertain to the case or list any personal details.
-Do not comment on ongoing investigations in other countries if asked.

Background briefing is a note shared with the RC and senior staff to explain the issue in question and the key messages that will be shared and how it should be addressed. It also includes a media monitoring to understand what has happened so far.
Press conference is a public event. Journalists are invited and the RC makes a speech and then receives questions from journalists.

Of the record communication is dangerous because although there is a verbal agreement that it will not be shared, it could be shared and all communication on this serious matter should be on-the record.

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- Questions are limited ((it is not a press conference)
- The information provided must be brief, precise and forceful.
- Explain the rules to the journalists before the session
- The meeting should be brief.

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What ground rules would you put in place for the RC and journalists?

1- show trust and expectation to receive it as well

2- If questions are shared, agree there will be no questions of the topics discussed

3- Agree there will be no off the record questions or comments

4- Agree to share all needed data in advance and which one to highlight

What is the distinction between a background briefing and a press conference?

Background briefing is usually one-one-one, not public, nor aired and often not to be shared but rather to collect information to be used for a report, rather than official quoted.

While press conference, is one to many or many to many, with press which could be aired live as well.

How would you handle requests for “off the record” comment by journalists at the end of the briefing?

I would agree with journalist in advance not to have them and if needed, open a chance to for them to follow up if needed.

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- set-up must be personal (nice environment, drinks, cookies etc.)
- UN representatives must be approachable, nice
- dress code needs to be less formal than in a press conference
- more background information for the journalist available
- introduction of key staff to the journalists
- no real "off the record" as such but the background briefing can be handled as such.

# data[].attributes.body
There would not be any off the record encounters and no questions from the press but instead, just the information provided by the RC

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A background brief is a situation on the ground and what is going to happen next, what is the UN planning to do, and perhaps if we are waiting for the results of something that might take 24 hours or more so that we all be in the same frame of reference and to showcase how the UN is dealing with the issue,

The press conference is the information that we want to be out for the public perhaps it is things that already happened mainly facts.

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If the RC provides a background briefing in person to the media, what ground rules would you put in place for her and journalists?
Stick with talking points and respect the outlet's right to ask questions.

What is the distinction between a background briefing and a press conference?
The interactivity of the latter.

How would you handle requests for “off the record” comment by journalists at the end of the briefing?
I would try to avoid them since there never is a truly "off the record" stance.

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I would try not to hold such a session since there are always risks, but if you decide to do so, make sure that it is informative and that nothing can be quoted from this meeting, which can give you the context and above all how you will seek to solve the problem.

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Ground rules:
-Request to share the questions in advance
-Provide the journalist with some background of the spokesperson and why we have choose him/her
-Stablish to give the word to the UN spokesperson without interrupting him/her
-Stay aligned on the talking points.

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Manuel Mabuiangue; IOM Mozambique; Maputo

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Manuel Mabuiangue; IOM Mozambique; Maputo

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If the RC provides a background briefing in person to the media, what ground rules would you put in place for her and journalists?

·        Request journalist to hear the statement without interruption

·        For the RC to read the statement clearly and concisely and ignore interruptions; use body language and eye contact.

What is the distinction between a background briefing and a press conference?

A briefing is one-way communication whilst a press conference is two-way.

How would you handle requests for “off the record” comment by journalists at the end of the briefing?

I would kindly request that it may be sent via email and provide my contact details

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- Agree on ground rules for background briefing with trusted journalists with whom there is an existing relationship.
- Agree that the briefing is for information only to help with reporting not for attribution purposes.
-Need to approach the briefing with caution and not to divulge any information that the organization would not be comfortable being on the record (if this happens).
-Have a media officer present to keep the briefing focused and to bridge as appropriate.
- Agree that there will be no off the record comment.

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Ground rules for an in-person background briefing:
1. Questions to be shared in advance
2. Quotes should not be attributed to RC, rather , journalist should reference the research, studies or other information resources mentioned in the brief.

A background briefing is intended to provide additional information to the journalist to aid in writing the story. This could be research or technical brief on a complex subject matter, which is not intended to be a quote from the RC.

A press conference is a means of providing a formal statement on the issue, and the statements are attributable to the RC and present the official position of the UN on an issue.

I would advise RC that off the record remarks can be attributed to him/her and the organization, despite being off record. Any statements made should therefore bear that in mind.

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A background briefing can play an important role in bring journalists up to speed on facts, other cases, UN policies, etc. while a press conference would be open to broader audience, moderated, and the RC would read out a prepared statement and then take questions.

Given the context, RC should avoid "off the record" comments.

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A background/media briefing is normally not for broadcasting and sometimes is completely 'off the record' with the person doing the briefing not to be identified, although it is scarcely possible to envisage the circumstances where it would be proper or appropriate for the RC to do so in this scenario. The background briefing can refer requests for ‘off the record’ comments from journalists to the prepared statement.

A press conference is a means of conveying more information than can be carried in a single press release and is also a way of occasionally utilizing senior officials and putting them before the public to explain and clarify issues.

Distinguishing the kind of engagement with the press will shape the nature of interaction, and ground rules are to stick to the prepared statement as much as possible.

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Sanjeewa Warusawitharana, UNICEF Sri Lanka

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Sanjeewa Warusawitharana, UNICEF Sri Lanka

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A background briefing to provide context of the case/incident.

A press briefing to share the latest updates on the incident

No off the record

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-Due to the sensitive nature of the issue, RC will be instructed to decline "off the record" comments,
-the background briefing will have key facts and figures on the organization and possibly mention the policies and procedures in place for preventing and addressing cases of sexual abuse perpetrated by UN staff
- the press conference will report on key developments, and next steps, and allow RC to deploy her key messages

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The background briefing can be prepared in writing and distributed in advance ahead of the press conference, to provide context, facts and figures about the topic, and help the journalists prepare their questions accordingly.

Ground rules:

RC to try stay aligned with the talking points

Journalists to stay on topic, and avoid requesting "off the record comments.

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Ground rules:

For RC; Stick with the key messages and respond to the media sincerely.

For Journalist: Stick with issues and ask the questions within the time alloted

Distinction between background briefing and press briefing:

Background briefing is a proper channel to provide journalist with more comprehensive information about the incident while press briefing is very much focused on key progress and actions on the issue.

For the off-the record question, RC can respond nicely to decline it if the question is irrelevant. But if is important to address, it is important to respond the question as if the recorded question.

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A background briefing provides journalists with information about the organization, its policies, programmes and the functioning of the UN and its agencies. This will be specific to the topic at hand.

Ground rules:

1. Agree on set questions and issues for the interview with the producer and interviewer.
2. Advise the RC to stick to the messaging that has been prepared for the interview

A press conference is an event where the media is invited to a specific venue, a statement is given  and they are allowed to ask questions.

As it relates to off the record, I would not advise it at this stage.

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Background briefing with journalists who the organisation has history of amicable relations.

no off record comments

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I don't think I'd put a RC up for a background briefing.  I'd rather have it done by a media officer or a technical expert close to the case.  RC might not know all the technical aspects and details.  In addition, there is no such thing as "off the record", so putting up another person helps protect the RC who, after all, is the official voice of the organization.

Background briefing to be given to trusted journalists, someone we have a relationship with.

Background briefing is off the record.  We might consider allowing the reporter to cite "an official" or "a source", and we might leave room open to quoting the RC, but the quotes must be run by the media team prior to publishing.

Media officer be present during the briefing, intervene when needed.

RC to be aware that nothing is off the record and to approach this briefing as if it was an interview. Media officer will be there to complement or add if needed.

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As a background briefing I will provide a broad information to guide the journalists on understanding the subject and mainly the UN related polices and available mechanisms.

I will avoid any off the record comments.

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A background briefing will be more broad and offer detailed information

A press will involve various media to be present

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-Share available, confirmed and public information only
-Explain UN mechanisms to address such issues (both alleged perpetrators/victims)
-No "off the record" comments

Difference between press conference and background briefing:
-Press conf: Information to be shared live with the media with regard to a specific topic-situation-issue-crisis
-Background briefing: information provided for general information not specifically related to a situation

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A background briefing is giving information on incident while a press briefing is to share the latest updates on the incident and answer questions.

No off the record

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A background briefing gives broad, non-contentious  information that will help inform, educate and guide journalists on understanding the subject area. In this case, what is the UN policy and position on sexual abuse and harassments and mechanisms available for redress; and how the UN works with national authorities in addressing such matters.

In giving this information the RC should ensure the information is simple, clear language and to the point; no unnecessary jargon; contains one key message i.e. UN concern, empathy and action on report and should find out how the journalist intends to use the information.

A press briefing on the other hand involves high launch of high level profiles or reports. This could be reserved for say the outcome of the investigations,  if deemed necessary.

We would advise against off the cuff remarks due to sensitivity of issue but if pushed we would only allow requests if it is clear and agreed on how the journalist will attribute the same, i.e. not directly to the RC personally or organization without our consent and directly linked to our key message.

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Background briefing is used to provide even more information and context but is to be expected that it will be published to some extent. No off the record questions or comments.

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The background briefing will strictly focus on the broader matter at hand and solutions that the UN has made in the past and possible solutions.

Journalists will be allowed to ask 5 questions in total.
The RC will respond and no follow-up questions will be allowed.

The off the records questions will not be allowed.

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Lenka Ctvrteckova, UNICEF Czech Republic

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Lenka Ctvrteckova, UNICEF Czech Republic

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Background briefing provides additional information to the journalists so that they can put the information into context and can be as precise as possible. Given that the case is extremely sensitive and the UN should be as transparent as possible, I would not allow any off-record questions.

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A background briefing is to provide context of the case/incident while a press briefing is to share the latest updates on the incident

No off the record

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A background briefing would be focused on providing journalists with context to the case/incident, a press briefing would be focused on providing the latest updates on the incident and assume that background information is already known by the media.

Off-the-record questions shouldn't be granted considering the sensitivity around the incident. The RC should provide clear information on what happened and what immediate course of action is being taken by the UN. While the UN is still determining it's longer-term approach, it would be advised that the RC does not provide answers to avoid misinforming or misleading the media.

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No off-the-record answers should be provided by the RC.
Should there be any additional requests for responses, journalists can be advised toe mail their question to the Communications Officer who will provide timely responses.

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If the RC provides a background briefing in person to the media, what ground rules would you put in place for her and journalists? What is the distinction between a background briefing and a press conference? How would you handle requests for “off the record” comment by journalists at the end of the briefing?

Background briefing:  opportunity to share info, provide more contextual information, take more time to dissect/break down info/stats.

No "off the record comment" due to the current sensitivity of the situation.

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Florencia S. Murphy (UNIC BA - Argentina)

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Florencia S. Murphy (UNIC BA - Argentina)

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A background briefing means that the RC will provide general information/context on the topic at hand. Since this is a highly sensitive issue and there is an investigation going on, I would suggest she does not take any off-the-record questions, and explain these reasons to the press, to build a good relationship. She should be advised to stick to the key messages and talking points distributed. The RC should make clear statements to avoid being misquoted, and the journalist’s questions should address these statements only, as this is a background briefing and not a press conference.

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It would be advisable not to have off the record comments at this time.

Sticking to the main talking points and having a more factual conversation only within the approved messaging and talking points would be the best angle.

If more is requested, then sample questions can be sought by the communication team, and they can be answered via email with other press material.

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No off-the-record comments on this topic, since transparency should be prioritized.

Rules for background briefing:
- RC will provide all details available that can be shared publicly regarding the investigation.
- RC will explain what will happen to accusers and how the UN will help the victims.
- No off-the-record comments.
- After briefing, each reporter gets 1 question and 1 follow up. RC will only reiterate official info and talking points. It is not a press conference.

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Given that it is early and RC does not have all the details, they should stick to the talking points and do more briefings once more details are available. Also acknowledge that thorough investigations cannot be rushed and not to rush to judgement until accusations are proven right.

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Ground rules:

RC to stick to the relevant info and FAQ areas to be covered at the background briefing.

Reiterate to journalists that it is to provide them with info to understand the situation

Distinction:
Background briefing is to educate journalists with regards to a particular topic or incident in this case. A press briefing is high-profile media briefing that provides particular updates, highlights, achievements, report, etc.

Off-the-record Qs:
Given the highly sensitive nature of the subject matter, I would advise RC to politely inform journalists that she will not be taking any off the record questions, given it is an active investigation, and we should help enable an environment for a transparent process to take place without undue influence.

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Background briefing as its name indicates gives context and additional information for the journalist to better understand the subject matter.

At this point, I would not recommend off the record statement.

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Ground rules:
As this is not a formal press conference but just a background briefing, both journalists and the RC should stick to the background information Q&As.
Difference:
Background briefing is intended for setting a context and providing background information on the case, whereas at the press conference, the latest updates can be discussed
'Off the record' comments:
RC can make off the record remarks, as this will show that she trusts journalists ethics, as they won't be publishing anything they have heard off the record. This will allow for building trust between the RC and the press. At the same time, the RC should not be oversharing, even if the journalists promised this to be off the record.

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I would suggest a press conference, without off-the-record comments and as transparent and non-reactive as possible, taking into account the sensitiveness of the issue, and evaluate a background briefing when more information is available.

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A background briefing is a great way to bring journalists up to speed on facts, status, other cases, UN policies, etc. Could be targeted or broad on invite.

RC should steer clear of "off the record" comments.

A press conference would be open to all, moderated, and the RC would read out a prepared statement and then take questions. Journalists to identify themselves and their org, and moderated to come prepared on who will attend and make key journos should have their questions answered.

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Sandra Black, Communications Consultant, Maputo, Mozambique

# data[].attributes.subject
Sandra Black, Communications Consultant, Maputo, Mozambique

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A background briefing means that information is provided for background /general information for a story, but is not to be attributed to a specific individual. Ground rules would be that information presented in the background briefing is not to be quoted or attributed to a UN official.

It would be preferable to provide on-the-record statements, and avoid off the record statements, to not appear that there is information to hide. I would suggest that for quotes journalists use content from the press release and RC's press conference recording.

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What ground rules would you put in place for the RC and journalists?

To not answer anything without solid facts, empathy and consistent.

What is the distinction between a background briefing and a press conference?

Background gives a background on the past. Press Conference on the present and future.

How would you handle requests for “off the record” comment by journalists at the end of the briefing?

Perhaps by saying you have no time now, but would love to set up a meeting at another time. That way you have time to answer.

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Advise the RC to avoid off-the-record comments.

the background briefing can be to widely educate journalists on the UN policies

The press conference should be open to all interested parties; the RC will read a prepared statement and then take three questions

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Background briefing,  off the record with few selected journalist, My rules would be, allow the RC to give his statement before asking questions,  and the RC will answer pre-approved questions by our team and the journalists.

This issue is highly sensitive, I would advise the RC to stick to the key messaging, talking points and show empathy to the victims and their families.

Although Background briefing is off the record, the few selected journalist would not hesitate to take advantage of the situation, so the RC should not take the chance of being misquoted. I would provide the journalist quotes, and contextual  information on the investigation and try to guide the conversation.

Press conference, recorded and on the record, all media houses are invited. the RC should stick to the talking points, key messaging while echoing the SGS stance and never go off script.

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What ground rules would you put in place for her and journalists?
1. Allow the RC to finish speaking
2. You will ask the 3 questions and allow the RC to respond.
3. Follow up questions will be do upto a certain level.
4. You introduce yourself before you answer the question.
5. The RC will answer what is within his capacity what he doesn't he will let it pass.

What is the distinction between a background briefing and a press conference?
A background  briefing gives details on what we know which might not be enough since the story is developing A press statement in a way might have more conclusive details
How would you handle requests for “off the record” comment by journalists at the end of the briefing?
All off  the record  will be treated as just background and should not be attributed to the RC.

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Considering the sensitivity of the situation as well as the rising media coverage, my advice would be to make the response as transparent and 'unquestionable' as possible and avoid individual interviews, off the record comments, etc.

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A background briefing is not "off the record" but the RC cannot be quoted. Unless you specify to the journalist that the briefing is OFF, they can use the background information as UN source. I will remind the journalists that the information are for a better understanding of the case and not an interview. I will recommend to the RC to stick to the fact, not to disclose any internal information and to be particularly cautious when asked questions. This kind of meeting with the media helps to better understanding of UN rules and procedure and are very important. It can also be a good opportunity for the com officer to identify media that could be invited for an interview later.

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Given the sensitivity of the topic, I would advise the RC to hold a press conference inviting all the media and giving them all the same information agreed upon with the UNCT as a One UN position to these allegations. I would advise the RC not to have any off-the-record media encounters or one-to-one exclusive interviews on this particular topic.

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Ensuring that all statements are given in a controlled environment such as a press conference or interview
Advise the RC to give a unified message to all staff as well to ensure that none are making comments which are not in line with the agreed messaging
Preventing any off the record messaging from the RC to the journalists
Ensuring that the key messages are clearly laid out for the RC
Frequent briefings with the RC, on the latest developments and key messages
Advise the RC to even bring on board a PR specialist

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I would opt for the press conference at this stage of investigation leaving the background brieifng option to a later stage once more facts become available.

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I would prefer the RC to stick to the talking points prepared for her about the case. The background briefing is the summary of the case that describes the overview or big picture of the case yet not detail available. It provides information on what happened, how it happened, who involved, what action taken by the concerned parties, current status of the case, and what are the next steps. The press conference is the opportunity that the organized agency and the media/journalists to provide more detail of the case, asking for more in-depth questions on how the case will be solved, what are the consequences that the perpetrator likely to receive, what is the solution for the victim, how to prevent and ensure that the case will not happen in the further, what is the position and commitment of UNs toward the case.

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I would advise the RC to stick to the briefing note that has been prepared and avoid addressing any background and off the camera comments because journalists could decide to use these comments as the truth or admission of guilt on the part of the UN. A background briefing contains key concepts and information to educate the journalists while the press conference is face to face and the questions can deflect at any time despite prior agreement on the line of questioning

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A background briefing would be an informal meeting during which in-depth information and facts will be shared based on the questions that all of the journalists will be interested in. No explicit attribution or quotes can be made. Questions to be submitted beforehand.

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Off the record comments should be probably avoided considering the seriousness of the situation.

Background brief can include about the facts and the efforts of UN institutionally to prevenient such incidents. In the case specific, the progress of the investigation can be addressed as well as UN’s core principals. Questions should be obtained beforehand for RC's preparation.

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The ground rules for a background briefing would be that nothing can be quoted or attributed unless explicitly noted otherwise.

A background briefing is agreed to not be reported on with explicit attribution or quotes. By contrast, a press conference is a public event where one speaks on the record and may be quoted and referred to by their name and title in the media report.

If there is a request for a comment, I would try to understand what exactly they want to know and how the information would be represented publicly if at all. I would then make the consideration of whether sharing such a comment could have an added value from our point of view, also considering our relations with other media outlets who may be annoyed by finding out an exclusive bit within a shared event.

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I would set the rules for the background briefing: RC reads a statement and answer doubts of the press, strictly to what was said previously, as this is not a press conference. No off-the record answers.

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Some ground rules for background briefings:

1.     Agree on a set of questions, including issues to focus on.

2.     Re: format, I would recommend having the RC read out a statement; and a Q&A may then follow.

3.     Respect the process: as it is under investigation, refrain from asking details about the process or individuals/institutions involved.

4.     Not pushing the RC to name persons of interest.

5.     Avoid deducing on ‘possible scenarios’ excessively; and rather, allow the UN process to take its course.

6.     Not to break embargo (if a statement is due to be released).

In terms of off-the-record comments:

My first instinct would be to NOT have off-the-record comments; and rather, stick to the statements released. As mentioned above, I would request that we respect and allow the UN process to take its course.

1.     If a journalist insists for one, this should be agreed on at the beginning of the briefing; not at the end. If inevitable, I would request the journalist/s to ask their questions in private, away from other journalists. Alternatively, a separate, individual briefing could be offered.

2.     I would record the entirety of the conversation, so as to have a solid trail of the agreed off-the-record remarks and appropriateness of use of such.

3.     Track the journalist’s report afterwards, to cross-check on what have been agreed.

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I will tell the RC to stick to the background briefing and our agreed tone.
The background briefing deferred the press release that the first one is to talk about a general issue or to talk about a particular position instead of an announcement like the press release.

I wouldn't agree with any of the records at this stage of the situation.

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A background briefing is to provide context and insight into the situation that is more passive in nature and a press briefing is more active and straightforward that helps address the issue directly with facts.

Given the nature of the crisis, I would avoid giving any 'off the record' comments and advise the RC to address the media at a press confernce instead. It shows that we are not defensive, are compassionate and acknowledge the seriousness of the issue.

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A background briefing is designed to give journalists a formal explanation of key concepts, programs and mechanisms that will help them understand the context and functioning of UN. A press conference will provide facts and concrete information.
At this stage of the crisis, I would not recommend having an off the record, even more if this was not negotiated right from the begining but I will let know how to contact the press officers that would be ready to give updates.

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If it is a background briefing, I would recommend that it be off the record because the objective is that journalists have background information that cannot be published. What is important is that they understand what has happened and lower the level of intensity of the publications. All types of questions would be admitted as long as the off the record is respected. It is important to invite only journalists and trusted media that will not violate the rules and agreements.

The difference between a press conference and a background briefing is that one would be public and the other not. The former is to make public the messages we want to disseminate and the latter is to let journalists know the background to lower the news tension.

Off the record should be negotiated at the beginning, not at the end of the meeting with journalists.

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A background briefing is intended to give formal explanations to journalists in terms of key concepts , programs and mechanism while a press conference is only dedicated in providing actual information .

Requests for ''off the record " should only focused on the work being done in order to investigate the situation . However as the situation is critical , i might advise not making off the record comments .

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Background briefing VS Press conference?
The press conference is rather newsy while the background briefing is more of educating journalists on concepts, programs, issues etc.

To handle journalists requests for “off the record” comment at the end of the briefing: there is a need to set the rule and be clear with the journalist on to whom comments will be attributed ex. attribute comment to a senior UN official in the country, or a UN Expert in the country , be clear with them not to mention any name or official function.

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Ekaterina Polishchuk, UN Volunteers Europe CIS

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Ekaterina Polishchuk, UN Volunteers Europe CIS

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No off-record.
Briefing: to provide broad information on the topic: UN policy against sexual abuse, state of the investigation, how UN supports victims.
Press-conference: widely-perceived prepared statement on results, next steps and improvements, followed by QA.

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Given the sensitivity of the case, I would not recommend to have an off the record background briefing. Everything should be open and transparent and the media should be informed about the actions taken by the UN.
At a later stage, once there is more information about the investigation available and next steps, it is also good to have a press conference, in which journalists can ask questions and the RC can answer openly.

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Due to the sensitivity of the situation, I would avoid off the record interviews and background briefings.

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Background briefing - off record, no recording, select journalists, more detailed contextual information provided perhaps?

Press conference- on record, recorded, open invitation to media houses.

I would not assent to off record comments. I would provide trusted reporters with quotes that align with agreed key messages.

For the record I don't see the point of a background briefing in this case. Open to ideas about why it would add value.

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In this case, I would advise against background briefings, would especially avoid 'off the record' comments.

We would ensure that the press conference is formatted to start with a short prepared statement from the RC, followed by a Q&A session and as the comms lead, I would step in when needed to clarify where we can or do not have an answer.

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No recording allowed
All the journalist should have access to the same level of briefing
Remind that this is not a press conference, just an explanation of the background.
Remain at their disposal for updates

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Agnes Kante, UNAIDS Liaison Office, Addis Ababa

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Agnes Kante, UNAIDS Liaison Office, Addis Ababa

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For the background briefing: Make sure ahead that there is an agreement with reporters that this briefing is on the background or not for attribution. I would reach out and invite only a handful of journalists we engaged with, state clearly the objectives of the briefing (provide background information and undeniable facts while the investigation is stil on-going), ask them to focus and share their questions ahead of time, prepare talking points for the RC (incl.  bridging sentences in case any tough question is raised), inform them that a press conferece will be held at a later stage to avoid any off-the-record requests and redirect them to additional resources (press release, website etc) where they can find additional information.

On the contracty a press conference serves to formally communicate "on-the-record" and be quoted about the situation with participation of journalists asking questions directly to the floor.

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For the background briefing, the RC could share the foundational elements that the journalists will need to prepare their content. This could include an explanation of how the UN handles these types of allegations and investigations, the timeline for those, the interplay of national criminal investigations and the UN's internal OIOS work, and the UN's stance on sexual exploitation. Any questions past this scope should be reserved for a press conference. Nothing should be given off the record, this is a sensitive issue and the UN should be as open as possible and maintain clear lines of communication with the media.

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In the background brief the RC will explain the UN position and policies on sexual abuse and harassment and inform the journalists the circumstances and political context during which these allegations surfaces. It will explained to the audience that the background conversation is strictly off the record and only have to candidate discussion with  the journalists.
Press conference is usually laden with the public information for wider public consumption.

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As the situation is very sensitive, I would strongly advise against any background briefings and off-the-record comments. Those can be done for less controversial/explosive topics, but not for this one. I would politely, but firmly reject such requests from the media.

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Nothing will be communicated "off the record", and the background briefing will give media the facts and evidence that has emerged to date. The ground-rules are that the background briefing is intended for the media journalists to understand the background and context, whilst the press statement is the official public statement to the general public.

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During the background briefing, I will advise the RC to give information on the development of the investigations. Without going into details, the RC could also talk about the victims, for example.

The background brief is off the record, while the press conference is more like a public statement.

Due to the sensitivity of the case, I would avoid giving too many off-the-record comments at an early stage of the investigation. I would rather tell the journalists that I will share more information with them as soon as possible.

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You cannot record.
It's just background information
I would sit them all at the same table, more formal.
Off the record is always a risk and even more so in these sensitive issues. I would not do it in a group setting.