This morning, Mic published a follow-up article on lack of diversity onstage at last week's Apple iPhone 7 event, resulting from an "off the record" conversation. This article brings up some very interesting debates in the PR world around the whole concept of "off the record" conversations.

Any basic Media Training 101 session should explain the differences between "on the record", "off the record", "on background" and other scenarios related to speaking with members of the press. (also see NYU's Journalist Ethics Handbook, points #4-10) Here are a few key takeaways that everyone should learn from this morning's situation:

• Work with your PR team to understand what you are trying to get out of the exchange with a reporter -- e.g. are you trying to land a feature story? work with them to correct a story? educate them on how you fit into their original story or beat? Regardless, your PR team should provide you with guidance on what type of conversation you should be having with the reporter. 
• Both the company spokespeople and reporters should have a clear understanding of what type of conversation will be had in advance of it actually taking place. Your PR team should have a chat with the reporter prior to the interview to make sure everyone is on the same page and then pre-brief you on the format of the interview, talking points and if the interview is on the record. 
  
• Unless told otherwise ALWAYS assume that the conversation is "on the record". It is better to err on the side of caution than have to backtrack after the words are already out there.
• Never try to take the conversation off the record in the middle of the interview. Reporters get irked by the change in formality and format and may even toss out your whole interview as a result. 
• Don't start an email "off the record" and then go straight into the details. The reporter never agreed to going "off the record" so has every right to use your responses. If you have to correspond via email, have your PR team reach out to the reporter and get the "off the record" OK first and let them serve as your liaison. 
• Leverage your PR team. They are there to provide guidance and serve as the first line of defense for the company. If a story needs to be corrected, they should be managing it (and usually via phone).

In case you were living under a rock yesterday, you probably already know about the Apple event that happened yesterday in San Francisco. A new iPhone and Apple Watch were announced along with AirPods and a new mobile OS and a few other things. But unlike Apple events from years' past, there were no surprises. At all. 

In fact, Mashable published a piece this morning about this exact concern: if Apple can't keep secrets, who can?

So many PR programs still rely heavily on pre-briefings, embargoes and keeping the details of the announcement under wraps until the very last minute, when the press release and blog posts go live along with a flood of press stories all publishing at the exact same time. While this tactic should remain in your PR tool belt, it shouldn't necessarily be the only way you approach garnering coverage around a company announcement or product launch. 

We live in a "24/7 breaking news-wins and 'normal' business hours don't apply" world where you can keep very few things a secret for long, particularly if it is connected a well-known brand or public company. We need to rethink how we launch products and share news with reporters and the rest of the world.

Launch events, press releases, blog posts, social media, pre-briefings and embargoes still have their place. But we need to find additional avenues. And many of those approaches will be unique to your company, the industry in which you are a part of, your target audiences and the media that play in your world. 

Let's start thinking outside the box.