EschewAnon
We are just days away from the twentieth anniversary of an Editor and Publisher story titled “Is Crackdown on Anonymous Sources Going Too Far?” We are approaching the tenth anniversary of the New York Times’ vow to start “cracking down” on anonymous sources. And we are only a few months removed from President Trump’s threat that he would use one of his favorite tactics, suing journalists, to crack down on anonymous sources.
In other words, our angst over anonymous sources will always be with us. Editors and readers complain about them, but the relentless pressure for scoops, along with the unwillingness of news organizations to band together or push back, leaves these “crackdowns” toothless.
So let’s start with a more modest suggestion: Can we ban the anonymous government spokesperson? At least one news site is doing that.
Related Knowledge Center: Inside the newsroom
As newsrooms struggle with rickety business models and precarious finances — as well as new technologies — they are deploying an array of editorial responses.
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