12 Jun, 2010

For The Post, anonymous sources remain a problem

Posted by: admin In: Uncategorized

Great column from the Washington Post ombudsman pointing out that the newspaper doesn’t follow its own rule regarding unnamed sourcing:

For decades, ombudsmen have complained about The Post’s unwillingness to follow its own lofty standards on anonymous sources. Readers, who care about the quality of The Post’s journalism, persistently object to anonymity they see as excessive and incessant. The problem is endemic. Reporters should be blamed. But the solution must come in the form of unrelenting enforcement by editors, starting with those at the top.

That does appear to be the only solution.

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Matt J. Duffy wrote his dissertation on the use of unnamed sources. He teaches new media and journalism courses at Zayed University in Abu Dhabi, UAE. Duffy worked as a journalist for many years including stints at The Boston Herald, The Nashua (NH) Telegraph, the (Jackson, MS) Clarion-Ledger and the Marietta (Ga.) Daily Journal. He's served as a reporter, copy editor and news editor.

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