Skip to main content
Article
Anonymous Sources: A Utilitarian Exploration of Their Justification and Guidelines for Limited Use
Communication Faculty Publications
  • Matt J. Duffy
  • Carrie Packwood Freeman, Georgia State University
Document Type
Article
Publication Date
1-1-2011
Abstract

This article critically examines the practice of unnamed sourcing in journalism. A literature review highlights arguments in favor of and against their use. Then, the authors examine some common examples of anonymous sourcing using the lens of utilitarianism, the ethical model commonly used to justify the practice. We find that few uses of unnamed sourcing can be justified when weighed against diminished credibility and threats to fair, transparent reporting. The authors then suggest specific guidelines for journalists that, if followed, would curb many of the pedestrian uses of unnamed sourcing but still allow for the practice in specific circumstances.

Comments

This is an electronic version of an article published in The Journal of Mass Media Ethics Vol. 26 Iss. 4, 2011, pp. 297-315. The Journal of Mass Media Ethics is available online at: http://www.tandfonline.com/openurl?genre=article&issn=0890-0523&volume=26&issue=4&spage=297.

The preprint, or the author's version before peer-review, is available below in "Additional Files."

Citation Information
Duffy, M. J., & Freeman, C. P. (2011). Anonymous sources: A utilitarian exploration of their justification and guidelines for limited use. Journal of Mass Media Ethics, 26(4), 297-315.