Either way, it
is not easy for any newspaper to determine the motive of a source, but
it is important for the publication to put the source in context, and,
to the extent possible, that is the policy of the Kyiv Post.
Having worked both as a journalist and a government spokesperson, I have felt the darts of the malicious rumormonger parading as a motiveless source, and have also suffered the frustration of pursuing acts where only an anonymous leak could provide clues to a bell ringer of a story.
It is a given that every source that wishes his or her name withheld has a motive, whether ulterior or not. Generally, the motive is fear of retribution, quite often from the government.
However, there are many other reasons unnamed sources are ubiquitous in print. A quick search of the Kyiv Post files turns up hundreds of references to anonymous sources, many from other news-gathering organizations such as Interfax and Reuters.
During the eight years I worked on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C., a symptom of “Potomac Fever” was a need to reveal information to the press that might or might not be true, but served a partisan purpose. Often, the practice was akin to indiscriminately tossing hand grenades in print.
My boss, the Senate majority leader, liked to play his cards close to the vest. Only a handful of loyal staff—if anyone–would know his next move. However, it seemed at times that chatty staff members working in the warrens of the Capitol were certain that they knew his every thought, and did not hesitate to speculate to the media on the condition they remain anonymous.
Most often they were wrong, sometimes to laughable results when they were so far off base it made the newspaper look foolish and the source clownish.
From a personal standpoint, I regard the anonymous source as a necessary evil. And, at times, I have been the leaker in an effort to advance an agenda of my politician boss, whether it had to do with legislation or gaining a partisan advantage.
The role comes with the territory of spokesperson, particularly in a hard-fought election campaign which has a finite end where one team picks up all the marbles when the votes are counted. In a campaign, much of the battle is waged in the trenches by “informed” or “reliable” sources, which might neither be informed or reliable.
It’s also a fact that many stories would be swept under the rug without the benefit of an anonymous source. Some 40 years ago, an American president, Richard Nixon, resigned from office in disgrace prior to being impeached for multiple crimes. It was a defining moment in America’s history.
There is a good chance the scandal called “Watergate” would not have been exposed but for a source called “Deep Throat,” and two enterprising reporters for the Washington Post who kept up a daily drumbeat of stories focusing on the issue.
But when I see a story in the Kyiv Post that quotes an unnamed source, I am curious as to the motive. I also look to see if the source has been put into context, or, in other words, identified as to possible motive.
As a backstop to the malicious use of the unnamed source, some newspapers—such as The New York Times–require the reporter tell at least one editor the source of the information. This helps guard against a reporter being too close to a story and perhaps having a lapse in judgment as to the source’s motives.
At the Kyiv Post, that person is chief editor Brian Bonner. Bonner says unnamed sources should be used sparingly, and that it should be explained to the reader why the source was granted anonymity. The Kyiv Post also strives to characterize the source – and the source’s motives – to the extent possible while still maintaining confidentiality.
“There has to be a good reason, and it’s not good enough, no matter if it’s Bob Woodward (of Watergate fame), to say ‘trust me’,” says Bonner.
As for the reader, my advice is to ratchet down the credibility of any story based entirely on informed but undisclosed sources. Remember that the source rarely has an unselfish motive, particularly if attempts have not been made to put the source into context.
Also remember, however, that some significant history-changing stories would never have seen the light of day without there being an anonymous source.
Kyiv Post CEO Michael Willard can be reached at [email protected].
