What does on background allow you to do?

• A. Attribution to the source but not name.
• B. Publication with name attached.
• C. Publication without any attribution.
• D. It cannot be used.

Answer: (A)

On background lets you use information from a source but you don’t name the person. You can publish the information and attribute it to someone, but the reader won’t learn the person’s identity. Phrasing like “a source familiar with the matter” or “an official who spoke on background” preserves anonymity while still signaling that a knowledgeable source provided the information. This is why the best choice is that you can attribute to the source without naming them. It isn’t publication with the name attached (that would be on the record), and it isn’t publication without any attribution (that would be off the record or deep background). It also isn’t that it cannot be used.