‘Anonymous Sources’ Are How Corporate Media Launder Smear Operations As News
By: Jordan Boyd
February 10, 2023
It happened with the Russia hoax, it happened all during Trump’s time in the White House, and it happened again with the Chinese spy balloon.
Anonymous sources were once rarely used in journalism. They would only be cited when trying to preserve someone’s physical safety or report on the most sensitive national security matters, and there was an expectation that such unusual sourcing be reviewed by editors and carefully corroborated whenever possible.
Now anonymous sourcing has become the norm in reporting and is frequently used as a political weapon to disseminate Democrats’ talking points and smear their enemies. The illicit use of anonymous sources to launch libel against Democrats’ enemies ballooned after Donald Trump won the presidency in 2016, and the tactic was used to develop the Russia-collusion hoax and multiple other smears.
The most recent example may be the Chinese spy balloon news cycle. When word reached the public that Red China spent days hovering over the United States collecting sensitive information, public outrage ensued. Dozens of legislators and governors and Trump demanded President Joe Biden shoot down the balloon as soon as possible.
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https://thefederalist.com/2023/02/10/anonymous-sources-are-how-corporate-media-launder-smear-operations-as-news/
