May 17, 2008
Misuse of anonymous sources in sports reporting
Posted by Laurie K. Blandford under Journalism, Uncategorized | Tags: sports, espn, journalist, writer, reporting, boston herald, football, sources, accuracy, anonymous, story, article, anonymity, new england patriots, st. louis rams, super bowl, nfl |My boyfriend, Kevin, found an article on ESPN.com relating to “My paper on the use of anonymous sources.”
A Boston Herald sports writer reported that the New England Patriots taped a walk-through of the St. Louis Rams in 2002 before their Super Bowl match-up. The reporter talked to several sources, but he heavily relied on just one. And that one asked to remain anonymous.
Take a minute to read the article about it here: “Herald reporter: ‘Devastating leap of logic’ led to story.”
Sometimes it seems these sources request anonymity for a reason - and then provide inaccurate information to the public.