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Journalism & Media vocabulary · News Gathering and Sources

Anonymous source

Meaning in journalism & media, with examples

nounCommon term

In journalism & media, anonymous source means: A person who gives information to a journalist on the condition that their name is not published, usually because they could lose their job or be in danger.

In Turkish: isimsiz kaynak, adı açıklanmayan kaynak

How it is used

Many newsrooms allow anonymous sources only when the information is important and cannot be obtained on the record. Stories then describe the source: a senior official, a person familiar with the talks. Editors usually need to know who the source is.

Example sentences

  1. The report relies on three anonymous sources inside the company.

  2. Our policy is that an anonymous source must be confirmed by a second person.

Common collocations

  • rely on anonymous sources
  • quote an anonymous source
  • speak on condition of anonymity
  • unnamed source
  • sourceA person, document or organisation that gives a journalist information for a story; also the place where a piece of information comes from.
  • source protectionThe principle, recognised in many ethics codes and laws, that journalists should not reveal the identity of confidential sources.
  • on backgroundGiven on the understanding that the information can be published but the source will not be named, only described in general terms.
  • off the recordSaid privately to a journalist on the understanding that it will not be published, or at least not linked to the person who said it.

More terms: News Gathering and Sources

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