What is "press gaggle"

n. (context US journalism politics English) An informal off-camera briefing given by a spokesperson or politician.

A press gaggle (as distinct from a press conference or press briefing) is an informal briefing by the White House Press Secretary which (as used by press secretaries for the George W. Bush administration) is on the record, but disallows videography. The term can also be used to refer to the informal interactions between the press and the press secretary that occur before a videotaped press briefing.

One former member of the White House press corps provided the following historical context:

"Gaggles" historically refer to informal briefings the press secretary conducts with the press pool rather than the entire press corps....they were more or less off the record, and their purpose was mostly to exchange information - the president's schedule and briefing schedule, from the administration side; heads-up on likely topics or early comment on pressing issues, from the news side....When the President traveled, sometimes the press secretary would hold a gaggle with the press pool that travels on Air Force One - not every time, but sometimes, and always informally. In contrast, Ari [i.e. Ari Fleischer] does a gaggle on the plane every time the President goes out of town, and a transcript is made available for press corps members who weren't on the plane. These mid-air mini-briefings are the "gaggles" you can find transcripts of on the White House website.

The nickname "press gaggle" could stem from the idea that these more freewheeling press sessions, where the talk is much more rapid and free-form, are like a " gaggle of geese" honking. For example, the blog maintained by Newsweek magazine's political reporters is called The Gaggle; on their main page, their definition for "gaggle" when used to refer to the Washington, D.C. press, is "a flock of reporters pecking at a politician." Not commonly used in society.