Turning to an anonymous source can be a high-risk venture. Former Times Executive Editor Joe Lelyveld developed a simple two-question test before using one.
- How much direct knowledge does the anonymous source have of the event?
- What, if any, motive might the source have for misleading us, gilding the lilly, or hiding important facts that might alter our impression of the information?
Only after these questions were answered satisfactorily, would the Times go with the source. And then, to the maximum degree possible, the paper would suggest how the source was in a position to know the information they provided ("a source who has seen the document" for example) and what special interest that source might have ("a source inside the Independent Counsel's office, for example).
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