Why is it...?when

Newspapers use anonymous sources alll the time, and yet...

All Letters to the Editor must be signed and names will not be withheld.


How does one make sense of that?

MaggieD said:

Newspapers use anonymous sources alll the time, and yet...

All Letters to the Editor must be signed and names will not be withheld.


How does one make sense of that?

Click to expand...

The anoymous sources are 'unnamed' because if they knew they would be named, the source would 'dry up' due to fear of retaliation.

MaggieD said:

Newspapers use anonymous sources alll the time, and yet...
All Letters to the Editor must be signed and names will not be withheld.
How does one make sense of that?

Click to expand...

In case you missed the last hundred years and daily News..
That is the way the country/News works.

One of the biggest purveyors of off the record communications are/have been Trump and his Campaign/White House.
People like Kellyanne-can't-answer-a-question have provided scores/hundreds in the last year.
Some to make Trumpov look good.
But way to buy our New Goebbelsian President's BS.. because this raging Liar/conspiracyst Has to make the Media (truth) the enemy.

It's called Shield Law. News sources aren't obligated to report their sources, not even under legal threat, in order to preserve the Fourth Estate.

If sources had to be revealed then the government could dismantle the free press.

If a story is true it can usually be corroborated by more than one source.

Editorials are different because they fall under opinion columns and they are less formal. You can sign with a fake name and nobody cares because editorials don't require sources to be vetted since they are just opinions.

MaggieD said:

Newspapers use anonymous sources alll the time, and yet...

All Letters to the Editor must be signed and names will not be withheld.


How does one make sense of that?

Click to expand...

yes, and those names are always truthful

signed,
mark twain

MaggieD said:

Newspapers use anonymous sources alll the time, and yet...

All Letters to the Editor must be signed and names will not be withheld.


How does one make sense of that?

Click to expand...

Because opinions are a dime a dozen, and the paper can find plenty of them, plus they are worthless. Inside sources, otoh, are vital to getting to the bare bones of a story. These sources are usually people with special knowledge, which is something those writing opinion letters to the editor lack.

MaggieD said:

Newspapers use anonymous sources alll the time, and yet...

All Letters to the Editor must be signed and names will not be withheld.

How does one make sense of that?

Click to expand...

What RAMOSS said in post #2.

As recent at the 1980s many newspapers would withhold a name if requested, but you still had to tell them who you were. I haven't seen that policy in a couple decades, though.

Back in the 1990s I was considering moving to Idaho, so I subscribed to the local paper. In Letters to the Editor they would publish the person's name and street address. Phfft, oh hell no, I would never agree to that.

I once wrote a letter to an editor. They emailed back and said it was a good letter but they wouldn't publish it without my full contact info (for them). I responded back, "Ok, don't publish it then. I'm fine with that."