Anonymous Sources Are Newsworthy—When They Talk to NYT, Not Seymour Hersh
The response of the nation’s major news organizations to two stories about the Nord Stream sabotage couldn’t have been more different.
In ‘Russian Bounty’ Story, Evidence-Free Claims From Nameless Spies Became Fact Overnight
Despite the fact that the anonymous accusations were far from proven, and that both the Washington Post and Wall Street Journal included categorical denials from all those involved, including the White House, the Taliban and Moscow, much of corporate media treated the story as an established fact from the outset.
As Trump Commits to Endless War, Corporate Media Obsess Over Anonymous Op-Ed
Lost amidst the deluge of who-is-Anonymous? speculation was a Trump administration story that will have deadly, far-reaching consequences long after the New York Times op-ed is forgotten.
Call Them by Their Names
The identities of white people who report people of color to the police for doing innocuous things are far more closely protected than those of people falsely targeted for “suspicious” behavior.
Should Media Expose Sources Who Lied to Them?
Identity protection for whistleblowers and other sources is a cornerstone of good journalism. And sources can pass on false or flawed reporting without any ill intent. But what of sources that intentionally use media outlets to disseminate dubious information?
NYT’s ‘Impossible to Verify’ North Korea Nuke Claim Spreads Unchecked by Media
The New York Times paints a dire picture of a Trump administration forced to react to the growing and impending doom of North Korea nuclear weapons.
Rather Than Exposing Propaganda, WaPo Shows How It’s Done
While thanks to the Washington Post’s grant of anonymity, PropOrNot’s hidden principals remained safe from inquiring reporters and Russian hackers alike, editors of sites named on its McCarthyite hit list quickly found themselves deluged with venomous calls and emails.
Why Are Media Outlets Still Citing Discredited ‘Fake News’ Blacklist?
That a group of Cold Warrior hacks would publish such a blacklist is not a surprise; that one of the most established names in American news would uncritically parrot it was.
NYT Leads With Russia Hack Conspiracy–Despite ‘No Evidence’ (in Next-to-Last Paragraph)
It is not until the 20th paragraph of the 21-paragraph article, on page A13 in the print edition, that the New York Times reveals a crucial point of clarification: Clinton “campaign officials acknowledge that they have no evidence” that Russian President Vladimir Putin is trying to tilt the election to Donald Trump.
Bush, Blair and the Lies That Justified the Illegal Iraq War
Parroting a president known to be inventing justifications for war does not fulfill the mandate of the First Amendment, the Fourth Estate, or even journalists’ own professional canons that emphasize the obligation to the public, not to the president or the executive branch.
Lewandowski Hire Makes Journalists Choose Between Defending Their Profession and Embracing Its Demise
Faced with the destruction of journalistic values by the corrupting effects of the profit motive, journalists can either stand up for the principles that brought many of them into the career in the first place—or else identify with the corruption, telling themselves that they’re siding with the smart money even as it destroys the institutions that form the basis for their profession.
Anonymity in the New York Times: By the Numbers
A new report from FAIR looks at a year’s worth of anonymity in the New York Times, with media critic Reed Richardson taking an in-depth look at how unnamed sources were used in the paper in 2015.
Journalism’s Dark Matter
Far from being a “last resort,” anonymous sources remain stubbornly common within the New York Times, and are even more likely to be found lurking among high-profile and front-page stories.
Some Use Chalabi’s Death to Lay Blame for Iraq War at His Feet
While most in the media played it straight, noting Chalabi’s role in selling the Iraq War but putting in the proper context, a significant number of journalists and pundits turned his death into an opportunity to lay the blame for the Iraq War at his feet.
Fox, Daily Beast Stories on Cubans in Syria Lack One Thing: Evidence of Cubans in Syria
A Cuban troop presence in Syria would be a blockbuster story indeed—undermining the easing of tensions between Cuba and the United States. There’s only one problem: The story is looking increasingly bunk.
US Leads World in Credulous Reports of ‘Lagging Behind’ Russia
The New York Times maintained a long, proud tradition of uncritically repeating official claims that the US—despite having twice the population, eight times the military budget and a nominal economy almost ten times as large—is “lagging behind” Russia on a key military strategic objective.
A Bill AP Calls a ‘Compromise’ Could Put AP’s Sources Away for 10 Years
“Current and former US officials” spoke without authorization to AP about the PATRIOT Act’s Section 215–thereby committing the very crime that this “compromise” bill would punish with a 10-year prison sentence.
Establishment Journalists Pride Themselves on Staying on the Official Rails
Rails are meant to keep a vehicle on a predetermined track. It’s not much of compliment to compare a journalist to a smoothly operating train, always showing up at the official stations.
Unverified ‘Threats,’ Uncritically Reported: A Tradition as Old as Protest
There’s increasing evidence the Baltimore Police Department routinely uses the media to hype punitive threats in anticipation of crackdowns. Yet Buzzfeed uncritically republishes the assertions of a police department with a history of hyping threats.
Anonymous Sourcing and the Ghost Threat
The use of unnamed sources is widespread, even in places where it’s not necessary. But allowing an unnamed source to levy a threat, without having to put on the record who’s making the threat, is new to the sports venue game.
