ABSTRACT
This chapter begins by revisiting a paradox – on one side, the media’s professed aversion to the use of anonymous source and, on the other side, the media’s widespread tendency to use such sources even at the expense of audience trust. Negotiating the tension between the desire to preserve audience trust and the need to access information judged to be in the public interest but which would not be forthcoming without a confidentiality undertaking presents a conundrum for the media. The use of such sources, however, is an age-old practice. When judiciously used it serves the public interest in being properly informed. The discussion next continues the last chapter’s concerns with leaks, focusing on leaks in the political arena. The chapter then examines a common concern with the media’s use of anonymous sources – the source’s veracity and trustworthiness. This is followed by a discussion on the motivations behind the use of anonymous sources, the potential for questionable motivations given that anonymous sources have little or no accountability. This chapter then examines various factors that result in the ending of the promise of confidentiality, such as when disclosure is sought under the law; the disclosure occurs outside of the parties’ control; the journalist considers the agreement frustrated or lapsed; the disclosure is permitted under the agreed terms; or the source steps forward. The chapter makes general observations about the challenges of entering into confidentiality undertakings and concludes that although journalists see source protection as an inviolable rule, journalists themselves recognise its limits.
