ABSTRACT
This chapter explains the importance of well-informed sources for quality reporting, and how today’s abundance of anonymous data through data mining does not in itself make personal sources unnecessary. Because sources continue to be indispensable, the ethical use of sources is an ongoing challenge. Reporters sometimes need to be skeptical and adversarial, and at other times cooperation is the most effective. When sources are official but biased or ignorant, what guidelines are relevant for journalists? Many safeguards to protect the source’s privacy were developed during the print and broadcast era, so they are difficult to implement when digital technology dominates the news. Choosing legitimate sources when covering social protests, and taking seriously the least advantaged as sources, require ethical principles that cover those specifics.
