Journalism and reporting

Nothing in unter drei tells you what it means. Word for word it is ‘under three’, and it makes sense only to someone who knows the grades of attribution laid down in the statutes of the Bundespressekonferenz, the association of the correspondents who cover the federal government. Unter eins: the statement may be used and quoted by name. Unter zwei: it may be used, but nobody may be able to tell who said it. Unter drei: it is for the journalist’s understanding only and must not appear at all. The numbers left the press room long ago. A minister leans across a table, says Das jetzt mal unter drei, and everyone present knows the next sentence is not for print. It does the work of ‘off the record’, with one difference worth keeping in mind: because the German grades are counted, unter zwei oder unter drei? is an ordinary question to ask before a conversation begins.