New York Times standards editor Phil Corbett sent a memo to the staff earlier this week about anonymous sourcing. It was a pretty standard memo indeed. Just a few reminders really:
Remember that under our rules, at least one editor must know the identity of an anonymous source. (As standards editor, I do occasional spot checks to make sure this policy is being followed.)
But the best part of the memo came at the beginning when Mr. Corbett was explaining the impetus behind the memo: “At a farewell dinner for Clark Hoyt, a number of editors once again discussed our use of anonymous sources.”
If you ever wondered what a goodbye dinner for Clark Hoyt would be like, there you have it.
Mr. Hoyt left The Times after his tenure elapsed to help Bloomberg grow its Washington Bureau.
(h/t Hamilton Nolan)
