As professional journalists, our credibility is our most prized professional possession. To protect both their own credibility and that of their stories, our reporters exhaust every possible avenue to confirm and attribute information before relying on anonymous sources. However, if the only way to publish a story of importance to the public is to use anonymous sources, we believe that we owe it to our readers to identify the source as clearly as possible without identifying the person who has been granted anonymity.
Before agreeing to grant a source anonymity, reporters, in conjunction with the editor, carefully weigh sources’ motives for requesting anonymity and clarify any and all conditions attached to the exchange of information.
(Policy approved 4.10.24)
