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The curse (and blessing) of the anonymous source
It would be hard for journalists to operate in the political jungle without anonymous sources — but there should be limits.
British journalists rely too heavily on anonymous sources, often serving as little more than a covert mouthpiece for Prime Minister Boris Johnson, a No. 10 source boasted to POLITICO.
- James Randerson
- Politico
Actually, a No. 10 source didn’t say that. And POLITICO doesn’t allow reporters to use the word “source” to describe people they are quoting anonymously.
But there is a growing backlash in the U.K. against the use of off-record sources in political journalism — which is reflected in…