(Angus Reid Global Monitor) - Few adults in the United States agree with the use of anonymous sources in journalism, according to a poll by Rasmussen Reports. Only 28 per cent of respondents think the practice is ethical.
In the early 1970s, Washington Post reporters Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein relied on an anonymous source—known as "Deep Throat"—to provide information and context on a series of stories regarding a break-in at the office of the Democratic National Committee (DNC) headquarters in Washington. The ensuing scandal led to the resignation of U.S. president Richard Nixon in April 1974.
In May 2005, the identity of "Deep Throat" was revealed in a Vanity Fair article, and later confirmed by Woodward and Bernstein. W. Mark Felt—a former associate director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI)—was the person who provided information to the two journalists.
In 2005, New York Times reporter Judith Miller was charged with contempt of court for refusing to appear before a federal grand jury investigating the exposure of covert Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) operative Valerie Plame. While Miller did not actually write a story about the subject, she originally refused to reveal her confidential sources.
Earlier this month, Washington Post national security reporter Dana Priest discussed her views on the issue, saying, "I think the press is guilty of allowing sources to ask for anonymity in far too many places. Even if the information is not spun, but they just don’t want their names attached to it. (...) We need to crack down on the use of anonymous sources when it’s not absolutely necessary."
