Journalism's Anonymous Allies

—Amy L. Webb

In the wake of recent journalism scandals -- Jayson Blair forged and plagiarized his way through The New York Times, while veteran foreign reporter Jack Kelley fabricated several of his best stories at USA Today -- many newspapers are instituting policies on the use of unnamed sources. In February, The Washington Post started requiring that its reporters corroborate all anonymous information from at least two separate sources. And Gannett Co. Inc., which owns USA Today and a host of other papers throughout the country, mandates that unnamed sources be used only as a last resort and must be approved by the executive editor.

Even so, City Paper still uses unnamed sources, though they must be cleared by the editor-in-chief or, in his absence, a managing editor. Other Philadelphia newspapers have continued to rely upon unnamed sources in their coverage of the City Hall probe. Some journalists argue that guaranteed anonymity is the only way to publish critical information, while many readers question content when names aren't divulged.

We surveyed news stories, columns and editorials about the probe published between October 9, 2003 and April 22, 2004 in the Inquirer, Daily News, Philadelphia Weekly and City Paper. Turns out that in Philly, much of the information on the record is still coming from sources way off the radar.

Research assistance from Alma Cosmeus, Sunday D’Arcangelo and Rick Valenzuela.

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