Power v the press

I am staggered by the reaction to Gerri Peev's decision to print Samantha Power's comments about Hillary Clinton. Power told Peev that Clinton was "a monster" on the record but after she said it declared it was off the record. To say something is off the record after it has been said completely undermines the relationship between source and journalist and every political operative, including Power, knows that.
'Off the record' is an agreement between the source and the reporter. Saying something is off the record after the fact denies the journalist the opportunity to agree to it.
Of course sometimes journalists let sources get away with that kind of thing, knowing they will be useful in the future. However, they are certainly under no ethical obligation to do so and MSNBC's Tucker Carlson is out of his mind to suggest this episode showcases the low standards of the British press. His smart remarks about journalistic ethics are captured here by the HuffPo.
In his outrageous interview with Peev he really showed that many American journalists lack the nous and backbone that Peev herself has shown. She had a story and no reason not to run it. Obama has had a relatively free ride in the press and Power's comments highlight that his staff are not as pure of thought as he himself claims to be.