Because a lot of people might be talking about journalistic ethics this holiday weekend, I want to put out there how my editor at the NYT does anon sourcing for our stories.
If something is stated and attributed to an unnamed person, she wants us to have at least three people verify it.
Nov 26, 2025 22:17The three people need to be in a position to know. We talk with our editor about why they know what they know. We tell our editor their names, titles, and why they asked to remain anonymous in our story.
If what they are telling us is especially impactful, she might ask for even more sourcing.
I think it’s important people know the lengths we go to make sure what we report is accurate. I know not every outlet does this, and as a reporter it can be frustrating to spend days/weeks looking for another source to verify a single detail for a story. But yeah, it matters.
