In Case You Do Not Know What This Means:

Off the Record. Off the record, generally, is something you say to journalists before you tell them something that you do not wish to become public knowledge. It's not meant to be an afterthought. I mean, c'mon - you know you're talking to a writer, right? Samantha Power, erstwhile Barack Obama, well a few others, are apparently unaware of this. Yes, there have been several debates - a quick Google search reveals - even among journalists about what exactly the phrase "off the record," means. But nobody really debates the timing. You say it before you spill your guts, if you're not planning on it becoming public fodder. Not after. Not midstream. Not a month later. Before.