Not to Name Names

Slate's Jack Shafer writes the first negative criticism I've seen of the new Washington Post and New York Times attribution policies. Shafer's cynical about the success of the policies when it comes to covering the White House, given that reporters have called this White House stingy with its press access. If sources can't be anonymous in the WP and NYT, he argues, they'll just go to other news organizations and be anonymous.

But the policies don't say anonymous sources can't be used, only that they can't be used cavalierly. Reporters should try to get their sources to go on the record, and if they won't, reporters should try to give as much detail as they can about the source.

Already, the policies have resulted in more transparency in the papers' political stories. "A senior administration official" has become "one Republican official close to the re-election effort who did not want to be named for fear of angering Karl Rove." Attributions like that may shed more light on the inner workings of the White House than the quotes they accompany.

I've simplified Shafer's argument, which is certainly worth reading. He acknowledges the value of the policies right away, he just doubts their effectiveness. And the questions he poses are compelling, e.g. "How great a tragedy would it be if they gave the official agenda a bye and stopped reporting the incremental changes in White House policy that pass for news?"

Here's the second negative criticism I've seen, FYI.

Comments

[Samuel]

To Matt Thompson,

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