How do you protect confidential sources?

• We permit undercover reporting only when we feel a story is important enough to justify doing so, and we have exhausted all other reasonable methods.
• We use confidential sources sparingly to provide important information that cannot be obtained through on-the-record sources. Our reporters may disclose the identity of unnamed sources to at least one editor.
• We publish information from confidential sources that we consider reliable but do not publish the opinions of unnamed sources.
• We do not attend “background briefings” where officials try to spoon-feed information to the media without speaking for the record.
• We are more open to granting confidentiality to sources we approach for interviews than to sources approaching us with tips or with dirt about political opponents or business rivals.
• We always assume that government snoops, law enforcement or hackers might access our regular communication channels when we grant confidentiality to a source. We should use technology such as encryption software or “burner” cell phones to protect confidentiality.

If you have any questions or want more information, you can consult our Code of Ethics or contact us by submitting a ticket.