Journalists' Rights Tracker

The Sentinel's policy on anonymous sources has tightened over the years. We rarely use information from such sources in published stories. The "anonymous source" principle has been abused so many times that many readers really don't believe that the source is an actual person. The unnamed source is highly suspect, and that's why we rarely use the device.

But here's the difference: Reporters use anonymous sources as a kind of tip sheet all the time. Reporters can't get away from that practice.

And yes, many of these sources have an ulterior motive. It's the reporter's job to screen the information and get confirmation elsewhere.

All kinds of people leak information, from drug addicts to those high in a federal administration. Mark Felt, recently identified as the "Deep Throat" source for Woodward and Bernstein during Watergate, had his own motives for sharing information. [...]

Alas, journalism can be compared to sausage production. Not every conversation that every journalist has is a pretty one. But that's to the good: the more people a reporter talks to, the better.

What's ultimately most important is the accuracy of what goes in the newspaper or onto a video report.

What's important is the ultimate principle behind shield laws. A journalist ought to have the right to speak to anyone without that person expecting that his words will end up in the hands of the authorities.

Shield laws ensure that anonymous sources remain that way. True, many sources are something less than honorable. But that doesn't mean that the principle behind journalists' shield laws should be thrown out the window.