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the use of "Unnamed Sources"...here's what the NYT has to say about that practice...btw, don't forget that the "Watergate Scandal" was uncovered by Woodward and Bernstein at WaPo, through the use of an "Unnamed Source" ("Deep Throat"...later identified as Associate FBI Director, Mark Felt), thus benefitting the nation by eventually leading to the resignation of Richard Nixon as President.

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Why does The New York Times use anonymous sources?
Explaining the policies and processes that define our journalism.

June 11, 2025

“Speaking on the condition of anonymity …”

“Discussed the incident on the condition that they not be named …”

“According to people familiar with …”

You’ve undoubtedly seen these phrases in Times articles, but what exactly do they mean?

Our reporting is based on sources. They can be officials, witnesses, records — essentially anyone or anything that can offer information on a particular topic. When we don’t disclose a human source by name, that person is considered an anonymous source. Under our guidelines, these sources should be used only for information that we believe is newsworthy and credible, and that we are not able to report any other way.

But why does The Times shield the identity of some sources? We recognize that the use of anonymous sources is sometimes crucial to our journalistic mission. It can give readers genuine insight into the uses and abuses of power — in Washington, on Wall Street and beyond. In sensitive areas like national security reporting, it can be unavoidable. Sources sometimes risk their careers, their freedom and even their lives by talking to us.

What we consider before using anonymous sources:

How do they know the information?

What’s their motivation for telling us?

Have they proved reliable in the past?

Can we corroborate the information they provide?

Because using anonymous sources puts great strain on our most valuable asset: our readers’ trust, the reporter and at least one editor is required to know the identity of the source. A senior newsroom editor must also approve the use of the information the source provides.
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