Out of the mouths of babes
The Lassen Times News Editor, Barbara France, writes today in “My Turn” that “reading minds is not part of my job”. It would be fun discussing her meanderings but I am only concerned about one statement.
“For the record I give no credence to what anonymous callers say because in my opinion they are cowards.”
A rather innocuous statement on its face but it certainly leads to the “splitting of hairs” that the print media has been doing for years.
Does anyone remember the Plame/Wilson affair? Of course we do. An important issue in that affair was “unnamed” and “anonymous” sources. A reporter would argue that these sources are completely different animals from the run-of-the-mill “anonymous callers” but are they really that different?
The print media depends upon words to tell the story. The writer sometimes embeds their opinion in the story making sure that the desired outcome is met. To provide credence to the story the writer includes public quotes or on the record quotes. Even with the public record available we are sure to find that anonymous source.
The media will argue that the “anonymous source” is a person that they know. This has worked for years until the public found that some reporters were making it up as they wrote the story. How is the public to know that the writers “anonymous source” even exists? Would Miss France consider this person a coward?
Just something to think about when you read about another Deep Throat.
“For the record I give no credence to what anonymous callers say because in my opinion they are cowards.”
A rather innocuous statement on its face but it certainly leads to the “splitting of hairs” that the print media has been doing for years.
Does anyone remember the Plame/Wilson affair? Of course we do. An important issue in that affair was “unnamed” and “anonymous” sources. A reporter would argue that these sources are completely different animals from the run-of-the-mill “anonymous callers” but are they really that different?
The print media depends upon words to tell the story. The writer sometimes embeds their opinion in the story making sure that the desired outcome is met. To provide credence to the story the writer includes public quotes or on the record quotes. Even with the public record available we are sure to find that anonymous source.
The media will argue that the “anonymous source” is a person that they know. This has worked for years until the public found that some reporters were making it up as they wrote the story. How is the public to know that the writers “anonymous source” even exists? Would Miss France consider this person a coward?
Just something to think about when you read about another Deep Throat.
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