Often, government sources are reluctant to talk to news reporters if they consider some information sensitive. And one wonders if there is any information they do not consider sensitive. If a reporter wants to know something from the secretary of a ministry but the secretary does not cooperate with him, he will go to other officials in the ministry. If none of them talks, he may be tempted to talk to the typist or some other staff or even to some friend or relation of the secretary. The ideal relationship between a reporter and his sources is that of mutual trust.
Mutual trust comes from the past behavior of both parties.
If the reporter does not enjoy the trust of his sources, he will not get their willing cooperation. And if he cannot trust them, he cannot write his story on the basis of what they tell him. It is tempting to go off the record when you have information to reveal and want to be helpful but feel uncomfortable having it attributed to you. Thus you may be embarrassed to see or hear your remarks in the news. You may say something so newsworthy that the reporter or the editor will not honor your request for confidentiality.