Quoting anonymous sources : Walking the tight rope
- Sangai Express Editorial :: July 04 , 2013 -

Official source. Reliable source. Highly placed source. And just source.

Certainly the term 'source' seems to have gone viral, as far as the media in Manipur is concerned. The Sangai Express is also not an exception.

There are reasons for quoting sources without naming them and this is all that more important in a place like Manipur, where the pressure of pulls and pushes from different interest groups are immense.

Journalists in Manipur know this. However as the Readers' Editor of the highly respected newspaper, The Hindu, Mr AS Panneerselvan pointed out in a recent commentary, the over reliance on anonymous sources, even for a simple and straight forward story not only erodes the quality of journalism but also undermines the 'power of journalism'.

Lazy journalism is the term Mr AS Pannerselvan used to sum up this trend of quoting anonymous sources. Food for thought.

Whether this observation is universally applicable or not is debatable, but it would help a great deal in improving the quality of journalism in Manipur, if some thought is given to the growing trend of quoting anonymous sources.

It should be acknowledged that naming the source in the news report goes a long way in giving it more legitimacy.

This is what will empower the media and of course help in gaining more respectability. This is not an exercise in sermonising but taking a deep, hard look, however uncomfortable the point may be.

On the other hand, in as much as it is desirable to be able to name the sources, it is also equally important to protect the identity of the sources, when it comes to sensitive news or has the potential to harm the source.

Whistle blowers are always at risk, either from the establishment itself or from those sitting across the divide spawned by the Government and conflicting parties or pressure groups.

This is all that more true in a place like Manipur, where pressure groups are a dime a dozen and ethnic divides run deep. The presence of organisations pitted against what all that the Government represents also cannot be over looked.

Under the circumstances in which media persons have to work in a place like Manipur, the answer then may lie in striking a balance, a fine balance. Walking the tight rope, it would be.

Do not erode the credibility of the media and yet do not endanger the sources as well as the messenger.

Not an easy task, but worth an effort.

Quoting unnamed or anonymous sources is certainly the easier option of getting a story than studying five other options, where a source willing to be named may be zeroed in.

This is the reality from which no one can escape and there is also something called the deadline, which any reporter worth his or her salt has to meet.

Lack of adequate man power and more importantly lack of expertise are other factors for the trend of quoting anonymous sources. Here The Sangai Express speaks for itself and not the other media houses in Manipur.

Drawing the line, this is the difficult part and it is important not to confuse this with professional hazards.

The Readers' Editor of The Hindu has certainly managed to address an important issue, as far as the profession of journalism goes and it would certainly benefit the profession as a whole if some thoughts are given to the points raised.

The sanctity of the source should not only be understood in terms of keeping it anonymous, but also in finding the source who is willing to be named, especially in simple, straight forward stories, which do not have the potential to harm anyone.

All that more significant in these days of Assange and Snowden