Using Anonymous Sources Harms Credibility of News Industry

Researchers have shown once again that the use of anonymous sources harms the credibility of news stories, according to a recent study published in Newspaper Research Journal.

Readers sometimes believe sources have a vested interest in being anonymous, and they may also interpret the use of un-named sources as reporter incompetence, according to the study. Either way, the result is lower credibility.

The researchers, Miglena Sternadori and Esther Thorson, examined how readers reacted to investigative news stories using anonymous sources, as well as how the designation of a story as an “award winner” affected believability.

Stories in which the source had a vested interest and stories in which the author did not explain the use of anonymous sources ranked lowest in terms of credibility. Stories in the “award winners” category had more credibility with readers.

The authors called on future researchers to examine the effects of different types of anonymous sources on credibility.

Sternadori is an assistant professor in the Department of Contemporary Media and Journalism at the University of South Dakota. Thorson is a professor and acting dean of the School of Journalism at the University of Missouri.

The study appears in the fall 2009 issue of Newspaper Research Journal.

Contacts: Sandra H. Utt e-mail: nrj@newspaperresearchjournal.org or Elinor Kelley Grusin e-mail: egrusin@memphis.edu.

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