ABSTRACT
The relationship between journalists and their sources has been a cornerstone of journalism research, yet less attention has been focused on the special case of unnamed sources in which journalists promise sources anonymity in exchange for information. Within the literature on sourcing, the dearth of attention to such arrangements has led to a blind spot not only in our understanding of news sources, but of journalism more broadly. How journalists pursue-and are pursued by-unnamed sources, the reporting that results, and challenges to this practice matter given the pervasive use of unnamed sources to dispense incompletely attributed information to the public. In assuming a particular professional position, journalists justify their need for special rights to protect source confi dentiality by invoking a normative argument that encompasses the public interest while passing along rights to themselves and their sources. However, this practice also creates stress between journalists and their audiences by masking unseen alliances and hidden source motives. What emerges is a view of unnamed sources as complex and contradictory. That unnamed sources both assist and impede the ability of the public to know what is happening in its major institutions is evident in the journalistic triumphs and humiliations that result.
