Anonymice071808


.	Newspaper, Headline, Byline	Anonymously sourced passage	Who benefits? Source? Reporter? Reader?	Assessment	Rating (5=awful, 0=OK)	Date	Byline1	Byline2	Byline3	Beat


.	Wall Street Journal—Microsoft Revs Up Talks With AOL, by Merissa Marr and Robert A. Guth	Executives from Microsoft and AOL were scheduled to meet in Seattle Wednesday in the latest round of exploratory talks over how to combine AOL and Microsoft's online group, according to people familiar with the situation.	Source and reporter	Why should a meeting be such a big secret?	5	7/17/2008	Marr, Merissa	Guth, Robert A.		Business
.	New York Times—Paramount drops out of plan to raise $450 million for films, by Michael Cieply and Brooks Barnes	A Deutsche Bank executive confirmed that the entertainment finance venture had been closed but otherwise declined to comment. Three executives who had been detailed to assemble film finance packages were informed of the closure about a week ago, according to a person who was briefed on the situation but spoke on condition of anonymity to avoid conflict with the studio.	Source, reporter, and maybe the reader	I'm glad to know about the bottom falling out of Paramount's fund, but 1) given the credit crunch, are we surprised? 2) Shouldn't that bank executive have a name? It's not like Paramount won't know who he is.	4	7/15/2008	Cieply, Michael	Barnes, Brooks		Business
.	Washington Post—Snyder's simulcast plans center on WTEM, by Paul Farhi	Red Zebra has made no decisions about changing the formats of its newly acquired AM stations, WTNT and WWRC, said station employees, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because news about the company hasn't been officially released.	Source and reporter	Read literally, this sentence says that no decision has been made but that that information has not been officially released.	5	7/17/2008	Farhi, Paul			Business
.	Washington Post—Jail guards did not kill inmate, their attorney says, by Aaron C. Davis	A source familiar with the investigation, speaking on condition of anonymity because the probe is ongoing, said key figures in the investigation have yet to be interviewed.	Reporter and reader	Crime-story exemption	2	7/17/2008	Davis, Aaron C.			Metro
.	Washington Post—Charles workers meet with organizers, by Megan Greenwell	"These gentlemen see themselves as so far above us that we need some kind of tool to even get their attention," said a [Charles] county employee, who spoke on the condition of anonymity for fear of retribution from supervisors.	Reader	I have a soft spot for government bureaucracies fighting it out in the pages of the press.	3	7/17/2008	Greenwell, Megan			Metro
.	Washington Post—Administration wanted loyalist as Justice Dept. legal adviser, by Carrie Johnson	But two sources who spoke on the condition of anonymity said that [Andrew H.] Card [Jr.] called to reject the names shortly after the list arrived at the White House. "The message was that there was only one candidate they wanted, and that was John Yoo," one source said.	Source and reporter	No lame reason given for anonymity? Is this a trend?	4	7/17/2008	Johnson, Carrie			Politics
.	Wall Street Journal—Vogue Models a New Reality Series, by Rachel Dodes	Express LLC, a clothing retailer that is trying to court young fashionistas, paid in the "low seven figures" to be the show's lead sponsor, according to people familiar with the contract.	Source and reporter	I'd put more stock in this story if I knew what lead sponsors pay for similar shows.	4	7/17/2008	Dodes, Rachel
.	Wall Street Journal—Merrill Holds BlackRock, Sells Stake in Bloomberg, by Susanne Craig, Dennis K. Berman And Diya Gullapalli	The BlackRock negotiations bogged down over a series of issues, say people familiar with the matter. While Merrill wanted to reduce its stake, BlackRock was keen on keeping Merrill as a tight, strategic partner.	Reporter	No, not a bogged-down negotiation! That deserves anonymous sourcing?	5	7/17/2008	Craig, Susanne	Berman, Dennis K.	Gullapalli, Diya
.	Wall Street Journal—For Anheuser and Modelo, Was It Hook, Line and Deal Sinker?, by David Kesmodel	Relations between Messrs. Busch and Díez have been tense ever since [their fishing trip], say people familiar with the matter.	Source and reporter	Fish story or the real thing?	4	7/17/2008	Kesmodel, David
.	Wall Street Journal—Capitol Hill Storm Envelops Fannie-Freddie Rescue, by Damian Paletta And Sarah Lueck	The Congressional Budget Office is expected to estimate the cost of Treasury's proposals to the federal government to be in the tens of billions of dollars, according to people familiar with the matter.	Source and reporter	Expected. To estimate. Tens of billions. Can we couch a little more, people familiar with the matter?	5	7/17/2008	Paletta, Damian	Lueck, Sarah
.	New York Times—Problems persist with Red Cross blood services, by Stephanie Strom	The situation has proved so frustrating that in January the commissioner of food and drugs attended a Red Cross board meeting—a first for a commissioner—and warned members that they could face criminal charges for their continued failure to bring about compliance, according to three Red Cross officials who attended the meeting and requested anonymity because Red Cross policy prohibits public discussion of its meetings with regulators.	Reader	Very specific information. A date. A meeting. A warning of criminal charges. Three Red Cross sources. Not a trivial story.	1	7/17/2008	Strom, Stephanie			National
.	New York Times—Performers head toward T.V.'s revolving door, by Bill Carter	But the executive involved in Ms. Poehler’s decision, who requested anonymity because NBC has been holding back details of the show to announce them itself, said the new comedy was not likely to be a traditional spinoff of “The Office,” as NBC announced last April. It may have some stylistic similarities, but none of the characters from “The Office” will be moving to the new series. But the executive involved in Ms. Poehler’s decision, who requested anonymity because NBC has been holding back details of the show to announce them itself, said the new comedy was not likely to be a traditional spinoff of “The Office,” as NBC announced last April. It may have some stylistic similarities, but none of the characters from “The Office” will be moving to the new series.	Source and reporter	Do we care about Ms. Poehler's decision that much? How anonymous was this executive once the story was published? Not very, I'll bet.	5	7/17/2008	Carter, Bill			Arts
.	New York Times—Merrill Lynch ends talks on moving to Ground Zero, by Charles V. Bagli	But the deal would have required Mr. Silverstein to sell his development rights to the building to Merrill, and his asking price, $340 million, was unacceptably high, according to Port Authority and Merrill executives who requested anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the talks and did not want to pick a fight with Mr. Silverstein.	Source and reporter	Like they haven't picked a fight with him now?	4	7/17/2008	Bagli, Charles V.			Metro
.	Washington Post—Speculation swirls on Favre and Packers, by Mark Maske	Favre now says he feels unwanted in Green Bay, and one person in the league who spoke to Favre's agent, Bus Cook, early in the offseason said he was told by Cook that there was no communication between the organization and Favre in the weeks that immediately followed the Packers' playoff loss. "If McCarthy had just called him and said, 'You're our guy and we'd love to have you back,' they wouldn't have had any of this," said the person, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the topic. "He feels like he was tossed aside."	Source and reporter	An unnamed source's subjective view of what caused Brett Favre to feel the way he does and how those feeling could have been avoided is not news. But I loved Favre in "There's Something About Mary."	5	7/16/2008	Maske, Mark			Sports
.	Washington Post—American envoy to join Iran talks, by Glenn Kessler	[Undersecretary of State William J.] Burns, State's third-ranking official, will not negotiate with the Iranians nor hold separate meetings, the official said, speaking on the condition of anonymity because the decision had not yet been announced.	Source and reporter	Well, now that the decision has been announced, can Kessler get somebody to put it on the record?	4	7/16/2008	Kessler, Glenn			International
.	Wall Street Journal—Tabloids Weigh Merging Some Business Functions, by Shira Ovide	News Corp.'s New York Post newspaper and the New York Daily News, owned by Mortimer Zuckerman, are considering collaborating on some business operations, said people familiar with the matter.	Source and reporter	The news business loves to cover itself—otherwise I wouldn't have a job. This is pretty vague stuff. It's like a plan to plan.	5	7/16/2008	Ovide, Shira
.	Wall Street Journal—Steel Partners Taps O'Friel To Lead Japanese Business, by Alison Tudor	Mr. O'Friel, who is fluent in Japanese, has been closely involved in writing regulations and guidelines for program and options trading on the Tokyo Stock Exchange. He will be replacing one of the co-founders of Steel Partners Japan, Yusuke Nishi, who left the firm recently for personal reasons. Mr. O'Friel is expected to have wider responsibilities than his predecessor, according to a person familiar with the situation.	Source and reporter	This sounds like great news for O'Friel, so the source is not likely O'Friel's enemies. If it's O'Friel or his mom, should the Journal have reported this?	5	7/16/2008	Tudor, Alison
.	Wall Street Journal—Sprint Nextel, SK Telecom Weigh Alliance, by Amol Sharma	South Korea's SK Telecom Co. and U.S. wireless carrier Sprint Nextel Corp. are in preliminary talks to form a strategic partnership to develop new handsets and services, people familiar with the matter said.	Source and reporter	Pay no attention to stories about preliminary talks about strategic partnerships. The partnerships almost never bear fruit.	5	7/16/2008	Sharma, Amol
.	Wall Street Journal—P&G Taps New Global Marketing Boss, by Ellen Byron and Suzanne Vranica	[Procter & Gamble Co.'s global marketing chief Jim] Stengel is expected to join a university and may also have a role at a new marketing company dubbed the "Purpose Institute," which is being created by GSDM Idea City, owned by Omnicom Group, according to a person familiar with the matter.	Source and reporter	Weasel words: "expected" and "may also have a role."	5	7/16/2008	Byron,.Ellen	Vranica, Suzanne
.	Wall Street Journal—Office Market Still Calls to Bargain Hunters, by Maura Webber Sadovi	Among the biggest transactions this year: A unit of Mirae Asset Financial Group, a South Korean mutual-fund company, agreed in May to buy One Sansome Street, a 43-story concrete-clad office tower in San Francisco's financial district. The price was $370 million, or about $570 a square foot, according to a person familiar with the deal.	Reader	But only if that data are verifiable. If it turns out that the price was wrong, the reporter should be hanged.	3	7/16/2008	Sadovi, Maura Webber


.	Wall Street Journal—IBM Invests $1 Billion To Expand Chip Plant, by William M. Bulkeley	In a prepared statement, New York Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver said, "We are saving 1,000 jobs in East Fishkill." However, a person familiar with the situation said that IBM hadn't planned to close the plant.	Reporter	If there is a contradiction, shouldn't the reporter throw it back in the assembly speaker's face?	5	7/16/2008	Bulkeley, William M.
.	Wall Street Journal—Hamilton Files Protest On NASA Spacesuit Decision, by J. Lynn Lunsford	In a statement, [Hamilton Sundstrand, the lead contractor supplying spacesuits for the National Aeronautic and Space Administration] said it decided to file its protest after being dissatisfied with the explanation it received from NASA for why the company lost, adding that "some of the explanations raised other significant questions about the entire evaluation process." According to a person familiar with the situation, Hamilton officials were concerned that NASA didn't properly evaluate the company's projected costs for the program, among other objections.	Reporter	Does the blind quotation really add anything?	5	7/16/2008	Lunsford, J. Lynn
.	Wall Street Journal—Goldman Is Queried About Bear's Fall, by Kate Kelly And Susanne Craig	Lehman Brothers Holdings Inc. CEO Richard Fuld Jr., whose firm's shares also have been battered, also has contacted Mr. Blankfein. "You're not going to like this conversation," Mr. Fuld told Mr. Blankfein, according to people familiar with their talk, but he was hearing "a lot of noise" about Goldman traders who allegedly spread negative rumors about Lehman	Source and reporter	I'm suspicious. Is somebody getting blow-darted here?	4	7/16/2008	Kelly, Kate	Craig, Susanne
.	New York Times—U.S. envoy to join meeting with Iranian, by Steven Lee Myers	William J. Burns, the under secretary of state for political affairs, will attend a meeting on Saturday with the European Union’s foreign policy chief, Javier Solana, and Iran’s nuclear negotiator, Saeed Jalili, a senior administration official said, speaking on condition of anonymity ahead of an official announcement on Wednesday.	Source and reporter	If the Iranians weren't building a bomb, I'd make fun of this story. Suffice it to say that this is pretty weak news to merit anonymous sourcing.	5	7/16/2008	Myers, Steven Lee			International
.	New York Times—Radomski gives evidence in Clemens case, by Michael S. Schmidt	The lawyer, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said the package slip included [Roger] Clemens’s address.	Source and reader	It is remarkably specific.	3	7/16/2008	Schmidt, Michael S.			Sports
.	New York Times—Pakistan post was not in U.S. records, by Eric Schmitt	The Pakistani forces killed were apparently inside the border post or possibly in bunkers near it, perhaps intermingled with the insurgents who had retreated back across the border into Pakistan after firing on the allied troops on the Afghan side, said the officials, speaking on the condition of anonymity because the inquiry’s results had not yet been officially released.	Reader	Verifiable information from a forthcoming inquiry. If you want to trust Schmitt, and I do, this one is OK.	0	7/16/2008	Schmitt, Eric			International
.	New York Times—New breath test policy shadow's detective's case, by Al Baker	Still, on Thee Rant, a Web site with a message board frequented by anonymous visitors who say they are police officers, the incident set off a bitter debate that was punctuated by sharp criticism of the department’s new breath test policy. More than 40 postings had been filed by 3 p.m. on Tuesday as more details of the case became public. “You’re damned if you do and your damned if you don’t,” wrote LuckySaturday, whose post described a hypothetical situation in which the daughter of an officer’s neighbor is attacked as the officer drinks beer and watches baseball. “Imagine the headlines if you did nothing: Neighbor cop does nothing while girl is raped. The job really does hate its cops.” ... A veteran police commander, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because the case is not resolved, said no officer would want to be in the detective’s shoes. But, the commander said, “as the guy who is going to be the test case, I bet it won’t stand up. If he fights it, he might win.”	Reader	Anonymous posters who might be cops? Well, he's not overselling. I'm a little dubious about the anonymous police commander.	3	7/16/2008	Baker, Al			Metro
.	New York Times—Fox anchor is considering leaving show, by Brian Stelter	Brit Hume, the political anchor and Washington managing editor of the Fox News Channel, intends to step down from his nightly newscast after the presidential election, three of his friends and colleagues said this week.Mr. Hume, 65, is expected to remain with Fox News in some capacity, most likely as a political analyst on the network and as a panelist on “Fox News Sunday,” the weekly public affairs program, they said. The people requested anonymity because of the sensitive nature of his contract negotiations, which are continuing.	Source and reporter	Is this a retirement story, or is Hume leveraging the press to get a better contract from Fox?	1	7/16/2008	Stelter, Brian			Arts
.	New York Times—Bush emphasizes his opposition to timetable for Iraq withdrawal, by Steven Lee Myers	The administration official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said any agreement needed to signal to the Iraqis that “they’re getting their country back.” But the official emphasized that it was still possible to reach an agreement that would cover American forces, if not in the shape initially envisioned.	Source and reporter	Hasn't this been true of every negotiation with the Iraqis? I wouldn't want to make a meal out of this.	1	7/16/2008	Myers, Steven Lee			Iraq
.	New York Times—Blair cancels visit ot Gaza after Israel warns of threat, by Isabel Kershner and Taghreed el-Khodary	JERUSALEM — Tony Blair, the international envoy for Palestinian development, canceled a visit to Gaza on short notice on Tuesday after being tipped off by the Israeli security services about a threat to his convoy, an Israeli official said. A spokesman for Mr. Blair said the visit was called off “due to a specific security threat which would have made it irresponsible to proceed, not just for those visiting but also the local community.” Mr. Blair described the threat as credible in an interview with Maan, an independent Palestinian news agency. ... The warning came from Shin Bet, Israel’s internal security agency, according to an Israeli official who spoke on the condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to discuss intelligence matters.	Source and reporter	If Blair's spokesman verified the reason for canceling, why isn't Israel putting it on the record?	1	7/16/2008	Kershner, Isabel	el-Khodary, Taghreed		International
.	Los Angeles Times—Union likely to file grievance over Barry Bonds, by Bill Shaikin	No final decision has been made, the source said, but the union is leaning toward filing a grievance. The source spoke on condition of anonymity because he is not authorized to speak publicly in advance of a decision.	Source and reporter	Vagueness on steroids! A source wants anonymity to talk about "leaning"?	5	7/16/2008	Shaikin, Bill			Sports
.	Los Angeles Times—Drug war mayhem instills a new fear, by Tracy Wilkinson	Up to 20% of the [Mexican] police force is corrupt and will be fired, said a senior official who requested anonymity because the purge is ongoing.	Reader	Mexico is a war zone, I understand, but I don't like that "up to 20%" figure. Seems squishy.	3	7/16/2008	Wilkinson, Tracy			International
.	Wall Street Journal—KKR Hires TCW's Sonneborn, by Diya Gullapalli and Peter Lattman	KKR has hired William Sonneborn, 38 years old, the president of money manager TCW Group Inc., according to people familiar with the situation. Mr. Sonneborn will join KKR to help the buyout firm develop a traditional asset-management business, including funds investing in publicly traded stocks.	Source and reporter	Will somebody explain to me why KKR wouldn't confirm that they'd hired the guy?	1	7/16/2008	Gullapalli, Diya	Lattman, Peter		Business
.	Washington Post—Despite lifelines, concerns linger on mortgage giants, by Jeffrey H. Birnbaum and Neil Irwin	"It's not a takeover, not a nationalization," said an analyst whose company is among the 10 largest investors in Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, and who spoke on the condition of anonymity because the firm does not comment publicly on its holdings. "The government has to come out and calmed investors."	Source and reporter	How does this advance the reader's understanding?	5	7/15/2008	Birnbaum, Jeffrey H.	Irwin, Neil		Business
.	Wall Street Journal—Syron in the Hot Seat As Freddie Mac Chief, by James R. Hagerty And Joann S. Lublin	Since Mr. McQuade said no [to the offer to head Freddie Mac], Freddie's board has been looking at other CEO candidates outside the company. That search was slowed by the stock-market turmoil, which created uncertainty about the company's fate, according to one person familiar with the situation, but Freddie directors have narrowed the field to three candidates.	Source and reporter	The first part of this anonymously sourced story is a totally subjective, filled with vague assertions. Not news. The second part has a number to it, but what good is it without names? Who are the three candidates if the familiar person is so well-informed?	4	7/15/2008	Hagerty,James R.	Lublin, Joann S.		Business
.	Wall Street Journal—PCCW Draws Interest In HKT Group Stake Sale, by Nisha Gopalan and Lorraine Luk	HONG KONG -- PCCW Ltd. is seeking around US$2.5 billion for a 45% stake in its HKT Group Holdings Ltd. unit and has received interest from several U.S. private-equity firms, people familiar with the deal said.	Source, reporter, and reader	Go ahead and laugh, but stuff like this moves markets.	3	7/15/2008	Gopalan, Nisha	Luk, Lorraine		Business
.	Wall Street Journal—ONGC Makes a Play For Imperial Energy, by Jacob Gronholt-Pedersen	MOSCOW—India-based Oil & Natural Gas Corp. has made an approach to acquire Imperial Energy Corp., a London-listed oil company focused on Russia, a person familiar with the matter said.	Source, reporter, and reader	Go ahead and laugh, but stuff like this moves markets, Part 2.	3	7/15/2008	Gronholt-Pedersen, Jacob			Business
.	Wall Street Journal—Icahn Finalizes Proposed Slate for Yahoo, by Jessica E. Vascellaro And Robert A. Guth	But as the tension between Mr. Icahn and Yahoo escalates, there are few signs of progress on the option shareholders appear to want most: a full acquisition of Yahoo by Microsoft. That option, which Microsoft had spent the early part of this year pursuing, is no longer being seriously considered, people familiar with Microsoft's thinking say.	Source and reporter	I own a copy of Office 2000. Does that make me familiar with Microsoft's thinking?	5	7/15/2008	Vascellaro, Jessica E.	Guth, Robert A.		Business
.	Wall Street Journal—Hedge Funds Subpoenaed in SEC Probe, by Kara Scannell and Jenny Strasburg	The Securities and Exchange Commission has sent subpoenas to more than 50 hedge-fund advisers as part of its investigation into whether individuals spread false rumors to manipulate shares of two Wall Street firms, a person familiar with the matter said.	Reporter and reader	If the subpoenas are secret, then I'll call of the dogs.	1	7/15/2008	Scannell, Kara	Strasburg, Jenny		Business
.	Wall Street Journal—Anheuser Deal Recognizes Its Tough Spot, by David Kesmodel, Dana Cimilluca and Dennis Berman	After an exhausting meeting Sunday afternoon, Mr. Busch and the company's directors signed off on the transaction that would end about 150 years of Anheuser independence. It was a somber moment for Mr. Busch, say people who were there, with no celebration or grand speech-making. Afterward, these people said, the directors quietly went their separate ways. "It was all business," said one person familiar with the meeting.	Reporter	The source got nothing out of this. How much did the reader get out of the fact—widely known—that Busch was saddened by the sale and that it was "all business"? Not much.	4	7/15/2008	Kesmodel, David	Cimilluca, Dana	Berman, Dennis	Business


.	New York Times—Taliban breached NATO base in deadly clash, by Carlotta Gall and Eric Schmitt	The base and a nearby observation post were held by just 45 American troops and 25 Afghan soldiers, two senior allied officials said, asking for anonymity while an investigation was under way.	Reader	War-zone exemption	0	7/15/2008	Gall, Carlotta	Schmitt, Eric		Afghanistan
.	New York Times—Obama will meet Palestinian leaders in the West Bank, by John M. Broder and Isabel Kershner	An Israeli official provided information about Mr. Obama’s visit on the condition of anonymity because the official itinerary had not been made public.	Who knows?	Isn't the story that the Israelis are giving out Obama's itinerary before he is? And that they're trying to embarrass him? Or at least give him a hard time for seeing the Palestinians?	4	7/15/2008	Broder, John M.	Kershner, Isabel		Politics
.	Los Angeles Times—L.A. County failed to act on crime checks, by Garrett Therolf	Additionally, eight or nine employees have refused to provide their fingerprints for a background check, according to a senior manager who asked The Times for anonymity because he was not authorized to disclose the information.	Reader	Crime-story exemption	0	7/15/2008	Therolf, Garrett			Metro
.	Wall Street Journal—Weinstein Sets Movie Deal With Showtime, by Peter Sanders and Sam Schechner	However, if Weinstein Co.'s movies perform well at the box office, the deal could be worth $500 million to $700 million to the studio over seven years, according to people familiar with the terms.	Reporter and source	If Harvey Weinstein is the source or is behind the "leak," the Times should be ashamed. This clearly benefits him.	4	7/15/2008	Sander, Peter	Schechner, Sam		Business
.	Wall Street Journal—Pressed to Act, SEC to Probe False Rumors About Market, by Kara Scannell, Susanne Craig, and Dennis K. Berman	Meanwhile, executives at Lehman Brothers, whose shares fell nearly 17% Friday alone, were working on a plan to put the firm on more solid footing and stop the free-fall in the company's stock. Lehman is examining a handful of options, including a strategic alliance with a partner that it hopes will help restore investor confidence, an asset sale or possibly some sort of stock buyback, according to people familiar with the matter.	Source and reporter	Very squishy information. I'd prefer something more concrete in exchange for anonymity.	5	7/14/2008	Scannell, Kara	Craig, Susanne	Berman, Daniel K.	Business
.	Wall Street Journal—Anheuser, InBev Reach A Deal for $52 Billion, by David Kesmodel, Dennis K. Berman And Dana Cimilluca	Mr. Busch told beer distributors in April, before a formal bid materialized, that a sale wouldn't happen "on my watch." But the Busch family owns a small fraction of the company's stock, and Anheuser's directors were sensitive to their duty to serve public shareholders. Mr. Busch met with InBev CEO Carlos Brito in New York Friday, according to a person familiar with the matter. Mr. Busch won't have an executive role in the new company.	Source and reporter	A business meeting during a takeover is secret? Why?	5	7/14/2008	Kesmodel, David	Berman, Daniel K.	Cimilluca, Dana	Business
.	New York Times—Young stars have seen players swindled, by Alan Schwarz and Michael S. Schmidt	Another baseball official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because of the F.B.I. investigation, said: “People have been skeptical of this for a long period of time. It has never been proven, but the questions have been raised about, Where does the money go? Is it to the player, the buscone or the scout?”	Reporter	This anonymous quotation is very weak tea.	5	7/14/2008	Schwarz, Alan	Schmidt, Michael S.		Sports
.	New York Times—Planned Guns N' Roses deal underscores power of video games to sell songs, by Robert Levine	MTV expects to announce on Monday that the sequel to its popular Rock Band game will include “Shackler’s Revenge,” a track from the Guns N’ Roses album that has been in the works for more than a decade, said people familiar with the deal who spoke on condition of anonymity because the arrangement has yet to be announced.	Source and reporter	If MTV is announcing this on Monday, the day this story hit, the Times put itself in a position of granting anonymity to help stoke publicity for an album that has been ODing on anonymous publicity for a decade. Call me when the CD actually comes out.	5	7/14/2008	Levine, Robert			Business
.	New York Times—Pakistan marble helps Taliban stay in business, by Pir Zubair Shah and Jane Perlez	A government body, the FATA Development Authority, failed over the last several years to mediate a dispute between the Masaud and Gurbaz subtribes over how the mining rights to the marble should be allocated, according to Pakistani government officials familiar with the quarry who spoke on the condition of anonymity because of the effort’s failure.	Reader	The Pakistan border is a war zone. Readers benefit from knowing how the Taliban stays in business.	0	7/14/2008	Shah, Pir Zubair	Perlez, Jane		International
.	Los Angeles Times—Lack of bank note paper threatens Zimbabwe economy, by a Times Staff Writer	"If you think this currency shortage is bad, wait two weeks. By then it will be a disaster," said a senior Fidelity [Printers & Refiners] staffer, who spoke to The Times on condition of anonymity because he would face dismissal and possible violence for talking to a Western journalist. The paper will run out in two weeks, he said.	Reporter	Zimbabwe may be a near war zone, but seeing as we already know that the country has lost access to bank note paper and that it's running its currency presses full tilt, this adds little real news. Note: This piece was written by an anonymous staffer, so maybe we shouldn't be too tough on it.	3	7/14/2008	Times Staff Writer			International
.	Los Angeles Times—Colombia delayed telling U.S. of hostage rescue plan, by Chris Kraul and Patrick J. McDonnell	"They wanted to wait long enough to make it difficult to say no," said the [U.S.] official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because he was forbidden to discuss the topic for attribution.	Reader	The hostage recovery has war-zone-esque elements to it. The reader benefits from learning of the tension between the Colombians and the Americans.	2	7/14/2008	Kraul, Chris	McDonnell, Patrick J.		International
.	Los Angeles Times—Afghanistan attack kills 9 U.S. soldiers, by M. Karim Faiez and Laura King	But a senior Defense Department official and a U.S. military official in Afghanistan, both speaking on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to publicly discuss the incident, confirmed the dead were Americans.	Reader	Dead soldiers in a war zone.	0	7/14/2008	Faiez, M. Karim	King, Laura		Afghanistan
.	Washington Post—U.S., Iraq scale down negotiations over forces, by Karen DeYoung	[Prime Minister Nouri al-] Maliki, who last week publicly insisted on a withdrawal timeline, wants to frame the agreement as outlining the terms for "Americans leaving Iraq" rather than the conditions under which they will stay, said the U.S. official, who like others spoke on the condition of anonymity because U.S.-Iraqi negotiations are ongoing.	Source, reporter, and reader	The news advanced seems incremental to me, with the source calling the cup half full instead of half empty. But diplomacy is often about incremental differences.	1	7/13/2008	DeYoung, Karen			Iraq
.	Washington Post—Clashes erupt in Pakistan's NW; Adm. Mullen makes a surprise visit, by Imtiaz Ali	A local official, speaking on the condition of anonymity, said as many as 16 paramilitary soldiers were among the dead. Local officials said five insurgents were killed, but Taliban sources said one of their fighters had died.	Reader	War-zone exemption granted.	0	7/13/2008	Ali, Imtiaz			International
.	Wall Street Journal—Talks Unfolded Over Two Days, As Three Parties Met Together, by Jessica E. Vascellaro	The breakdown may halt talks between Mr. Icahn and Yahoo about a possible settlement prior to their Aug. 1 shareholder meeting. Mr. Icahn had suggested at one time that he would be willing to back away from his campaign in exchange for 4 seats on Yahoo's board, according to people familiar with the talks.	Source, reporter, reader	Is Mr. Icahn the source? I'd love it if the Journal, who loves to attribute information to "people familiar," would start adding sentences like, "The familiar source had nothing to gain by whispering to the Wall Street Journal" to stories like this. If this information came out of Icahn's camp, it's pretty sleazy.	5	7/13/2008	Vascellaro, Jessica E.
.	New York Times—U.S. considers increasing pace of Iraq pullout, by Steven Lee Myers	General Petraeus is expected to be more cautious than some policy makers in the administration and at the Pentagon might like. The officials, speaking on condition of anonymity because they were discussing military planning, said he was more likely to recommend a smaller reduction, but still a withdrawal.	Source, reporter, and reader	The news advanced seems incremental and couched ("likely to recommend") but worth it. Let's be lenient.	1	7/13/2008	Myers, Steven Lee			Iraq
.	New York Times—Pressure building for draft of players from outside U.S., by Alan Schwarz	“It’s the wild west down there, so I’m happy about this,” said one assistant general manager, who spoke on condition of anonymity because of the F.B.I. probe. “The people who are being honest are glad, and the people who are doing the wrong thing are scared.”	Source and reporter	When a newspaper has got to go to an anonymous source to report that honest people are glad and dishonest people are scared of an investigation, it's clear that the end times have arrived. Talk about a self-serving pronouncement.	5	7/13/2008	Schwarz, Alan			Sports
.	Los Angeles Times—Summer basketball is no vacation for prep stars, by Ben Bolch	"A runner is not a specific thing," said an agent who spoke on the condition of anonymity because he did not want to publicly divulge his association with such individuals. "More than half the time, they're getting in play because they have claim to be there for another reason. 'I'm an AAU coach. I'm a financial advisor. I'm a marketing guy. I'm a concierge company.' They're not coming in as, 'I'm a runner.' "	Reporter	Surely a named source could define "runners."	5	7/13/2008	Bolch, Ben			Sports
.	Los Angeles Times—Role of recruiting's intermediaries gets slippery, by Ben Bolch	In an interview, a prominent agent described how so-called "runners" serve as intermediaries between top prospects and agents hoping to cash in when the player turns pro. The agent, who has represented several NBA players, spoke on condition of anonymity out of concern that his comments might be construed as an admission he had engaged in wrongdoing.	Reporter	If the anonymous "prominent agent" has done nothing wrong, what's he afraid of? Has he really advanced the story?	5	7/13/2008	Bolch, Ben			Sports
.	Washington Post—States probe advertising deal between Google and Yahoo, by Peter Whoriskey	Connecticut, Florida and at least two other states, have issued subpoenas or other compulsory requests for documents, the sources said. They spoke on condition of anonymity because they aren't authorized to comment publicly on the matter.	Reporter	The story quotes the Connecticut attorney general saying he's looking into the Google-Yahoo deal and has issued subpoenas, which enough to make it a story. All the anonymice adds is that Florida and two other states have issued requests for documents, and a dozen states are looking into the deal.	4	7/12/2008	Whoriskey, Peter			Business


.	New York Times—Possible fraud investigated in signing of Dominican players, by Michael S. Schmidt	Agents for the F.B.I. have been to the Dominican Republic in recent months as part of the investigation, the lawyer said. The agents, who have already met with several baseball and team officials, will ultimately seek to meet with players, said the lawyer, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because he did not want to jeopardize his access to sensitive information.	Source, reporter, and reader	It's a criminal investigation, so we should be happy with what we get, I guess. The Times credits ESPN.com for breaking the story, which is nice. What I wonder is how much cover the cloak of anonymity will ultimately give the source, "a lawyer with knowledge of the inquiry." Shouldn't insiders be able to identify him?	3	7/12/2008	Schmidt, Michael S.		Sports
.	Los Angeles Times—White House puts warming threats on back burner, by James Gerstenzang and Janet Wilson	An EPA official who worked on the rejected reports said Friday's announcement was unprecedented because agency staffers did not have a chance to respond to other agencies' criticism. "How do you respond to comments you've never even seen?" said the official, speaking on condition of anonymity because of fear of retribution.	Reader	The EPA official sounds like a genuine whistleblower. Give the Times the benefit of the doubt.	2	7/12/2008	Gerstenzang, James	Wilson, Janet	National
.	Washington Post—McCain predicts an even-money race, by Matthew Mosk	One leading Republican finance expert interviewed yesterday called the projection "fanciful," and another said it is "dubious," given that the summer months are notoriously difficult for fundraising. Both spoke on the condition of anonymity because they said they were concerned about reprisals from the McCain campaign.	Source and reporter	Are reprisals from the McCain campaign greater or less than reprisals from the Mugabe regime? How exactly would the McCain campaign retaliate? Necklacing? Couldn't they get somebody on the record to back such innocuous information?	0	7/11/2008	Mosk, Matthew		Politics
.	Washington Post—EPA won't act on emissions this year, by Juliet Eilperin and R. Jeffrey Smith	Several EPA officials, speaking on the condition of anonymity, said that throughout the process, White House officials instructed the agency to change their calculations with the aim of reducing the "social cost of carbon," a regulatory term that reflects the economic burdens stemming from greenhouse gas emissions.	Source and reader	Don't you love it when bureaucracies battle one another? This anonymouse is worth the bother.	1	7/11/2008	Eilperin, Juliet	Smith, R. Jeffrey	National
.	Los Angeles Times—Jaguars owner says team isn't for sale and isn't moving to Los Angeles, by Sam Farmer	[C. Dean] Metropoulos, the former owner of the parent company of such food brands as Duncan Hines, Armour and Mrs. Paul's, told the Daily News he has not been in negotiations with [Jacksonville Jaguar's owner Wayne] Weaver. But two sources told The Times that Metropoulos has been in contact with Jaguars ownership and, one said, has discussed a three-year acquisition plan that calls for him buying 30% of the team in each of the first two years and 40% in the third. The sources spoke on the condition of anonymity because they have not been authorized to speak on behalf of Metropoulos or the Jaguars.	The reader, maybe.	I don't care where the Jags play, but it is entertaining whenever a newspaper catches a billionaire telling a lie. Is the resulting story worth the bother of citing three anonymice? Just barely.	2	7/11/2008	Farmer, Sam		Sports
.	New York Times—Peacekeepers in Sudan lose 7 in ambush, by Lydia Polgreen	“It is just a free-for-all,” said a Western aid official in Sudan, speaking on the condition of anonymity because aid workers have faced retribution for talking publicly about the conditions in Darfur. “Security simply doesn’t exist.”	Reader	War-zone exemption. Murderers everywhere.	4	7/10/2008	Polgreen, Lydia		International
.	New York Times—Militant gains in Pakistan said to draw more fighters, by Eric Schmitt	But especially since the new Pakistani government sharply curtailed security operations in the tribal areas in March and began negotiating with tribal leaders to rein in the militants, the number of foreign fighters entering the tribal areas has increased “from a trickle to a steady stream,” said a Defense Department official who follows Pakistan closely, and who spoke on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the information.	Reader and reporter	The Pentagon isn't a war zone. Why shouldn't a source put his name to "trickle to a steady stream"? Surely that isn't secret national-security data.	3	7/10/2008	Schmitt, Eric		International
.	New York Times—After 3rd climber, Times alters its building's facade, by Sewell Chan	A law enforcement official, speaking on condition of anonymity because The Times was still settling on a course of action, said that the company planned to remove about nine feet of the ceramic rods from the bottom of the screen that encases the building.	Nobody	Preposterous! A New York Times reporter has to get Times Building information anonymously from a cop? Can't Times management come clean with its own reporter about the ceramic rods?		7/10/2008	Chan, Sewell		Metro
.	Los Angeles Times—Zimbabwe's ZANU-PF party plans new crackdown on MDC, by a Times Staff Writer	The crackdown would be aimed at pressuring the opposition to accept a government of national unity led by Mugabe, senior ruling party sources said. The sources asked to remain anonymous because of possible political or security repercussions.	Reader	Deserves a war-zone exemption. Even the Times reporter is clothed in anonymity!	4	7/10/2008	Anonymous Los Angeles Times staff writer		International
.	Los Angeles Times—Reasons debated as Elton Brand leaves Clippers for 76ers, by Jonathan Abrams	Brand had text messaged teammates that he was excited about the prospects of the team, according to NBA sources who requested anonymity because they are not authorized to talk about player movements.	Reporter	Fourth anonymously sourced article by Abrams in a little more than a week.	0	7/10/2008	Abrams, Jonathan		Sports
.	Wall Street Journal—Oil-Sands Firms Vie for Support, by Hyun Young Lee [No free URL.]	"The industry does a poor job of communication and trying to frame the issues, so the media focuses on what it wants, [such as] birds dying," said the former executive, who spoke on the condition of anonymity. "There could be much more collaboration between companies and with the government. But they've all got all these different agendas."	Reporter	This is worse than some of the anonymously sourced sports coverage I've encountered.	0	7/9/2008	Lee, Hyun Young		Business
.	New York Times—Split of Rooney brothers could force Steelers' sale, by Michael S. Schmidt	The message from Goodell to the Rooney family, which has owned and operated the Steelers since 1933, was that it had to divest from its gambling interests and clarify a muddied ownership structure that raised questions about succession, according to three people, including a lawyer and a financial consultant, familiar with the inner workings of the club’s ownership. They spoke on the condition of anonymity because they did not want to jeopardize their access to sensitive information.	Reporter	I don't see any "sensitive information" in this report. If I did, I'd be more sensitive about their desire to maintain their access to it.	0	7/9/2008	Schmidt, Michael S.		Business
.	New York Times—Qatar, playing all sides, is a non-stop mediator, by Robert F. Worth	“Their relationship with us has been complex, bordering on one of animosity,” said a high-level State Department official, speaking on condition of anonymity so as not to give offense, adding that Qatar’s support for Hamas had been a “very vexatious problem.”	Reporter	Complexity is complex and often hard to report on the record. But seriously, isn't Qatar going to be offended whether the remarks are for attribution or anonymous?	0	7/9/2008	Worth, Robert F.		International
.	Washington Post—U.S. seeks data exchange, by Ellen Nakashima	One official from a European state seeking visa-free status said he hopes the pacts will allow his country to obtain such status by the end of the year. "The United States is a close ally of ours," said the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because of the talks' sensitivity. "Obviously, counterterrorism and the fight against crime is a huge priority for the U.S. and my government, as well."	Reporter	Negative information content here. What country isn't against terrorism and crime?	0	7/8/2008	Nakashima, Ellen		International
.	New York Times—Washington Post signals shift with a new editor, by Richard Perez-Pena	It is not clear what role will be played by The Post’s second-ranking editor, Phillip Bennett, who has the title of managing editor and was a candidate for the top job. People who have discussed the matter with Post executives—and who insisted on anonymity to avoid upstaging those executives—said that an arrangement with multiple managing editors was under consideration.	Reporter	I can be persuaded to make exceptions for anonymous sourcing in almost any beat, except for when the press reports on the press. Sources can rightly say, hey, your people don't speak on the record—why should we?	0	7/8/2008	Perez-Pena, Richard		Business
.	Los Angeles Times—IndyMac to exit most home lending, slash 3,800 jobs, by E. Scott Reckard	[IndyMac], which before Monday had 7,200 employees, will have 3,400 after the cutbacks, down from more than 10,000 at its peak in 2006. It declined to specify the number of jobs to be lost in California. An IndyMac manager, speaking on condition of anonymity at a nearby Ralphs store, said simply, "There's not enough food to feed the mouths."	Reporter	Colorful, empty quotation.	0	7/8/2008	Reckard, E. Scott		Business
.	Los Angeles Times—Clippers, Elton Brand will soon have answers, by Jonathan Abrams	The Warriors have tendered a five-year, $90-million offer and the 76ers are gearing up to make a firm—and lucrative—offer once the moratorium is lifted, according to NBA sources who requested anonymity because they are not authorized to speak on player movements.	Reporter	Third anonymously sourced article by Abrams in one week. It's only a war zone inside the paint.	0	7/8/2008	Abrams, Jonathan		Sports
.	Washington Post—Weather Channel Sold to NBCU, by Frank Ahrens	NBCU, owned by General Electric, partnered with Bain Capital and the Blackstone Group to pay about $3.5 billion for the cable channel and its associated properties from Landmark Communications, the Norfolk-based media company that launched the channel 26 years ago. The purchase price was confirmed by a source close to the deal who spoke on the condition of anonymity because terms were not announced.	Reporter	This story appears to have two sources. One who supplied the price and one who confirmed it. I'd like to know more about the one who supplied it.	4	7/7/2008	Ahrens, Frank		Business
.	Washington Post—4-vehicle crash kills 1, injures 2, by Rosalind S. Helderman	The Camaro apparently struck one vehicle and then the corrections van, said a law enforcement source who spoke on condition of anonymity because the incident was still being investigated.	Reader	With the "apparently" qualifier, nobody can claim the Post or its source is overselling the information.	1	7/7/2008	Helderman, Rosalind S.		Metro
.	New York Times—Gap widens between morning TV competitors, by Bill Carter	"[Diane Sawyer] is so angry at the company,” said the executive, who requested anonymity because of the sensitivity of the issue inside ABC News. “They didn’t give her the job she deserves. They want her to stay in this job because it makes so much money. But to her it’s boring, it’s repetitive, and it’s cheesy to have to do all the things she has to in service of the company.”	Source by a mile	Moments later, the source ran to Diane Sawyer and told her what he'd told the New York Times, I'll betcha. Plus, who cares?	5	7/7/2008	Carter, Bill		Arts


.	Los Angeles Times—Zimbabwe youth militias accused of holding women as sex slaves, by a Times Staff Writer	A base commander who spoke to The Times on condition of anonymity said that Mugabe had said the bases would continue to operate.	Reader	Not only is the base command anonymous, so is the Times reporter, whose identity is blinded to prevent Mugabe's thugs from retaliating.	4	7/7/2008	Times Staff Writer		International
.	New York Times—An old sound in Harlem draws new neighbors' ire, by Timothy Williams	“Everything, after four hours—even if it’s Mozart—is pure, unadulterated noise,” said a resident of a building on the park who requested anonymity for fear of reprisal. “The community is right: The drummers have been doing this for more than 30 years. But no one told me there would be unremitting noise every Saturday for the rest of my life.”	Reporter	Masses of people hate the drumming, but the Times has to quote an anonymous source? Is the fear of reprisals real or imagined? If real, that's the story. If imagined, that's the story.	5	7/6/2008	Williams, Timothy		Metro
.	Washington Post—Woman accused in tax scam is aiding probe, by Del Quentin Wilber	Harriette Walters, the former city worker accused of orchestrating the thefts, has been interviewed by prosecutors and federal agents at least five times in meetings that began in February. The most recent session was in May, according to the sources, who spoke on condition of anonymity because they are not authorized to talk publicly about ongoing investigations.	Reader	Crime stories are like war stories: Anonymous sourcing is the price you have to pay if you want to read them. This one is specific, and the Post has a good reputation for not being in the pocket of prosecutors or defense attorneys. It passes.	3	7/5/2008	Helderman, Rosalind S.		Metro
.	Washington Post—President remains a skilled fundraiser, by Dan Eggen	One senior McCain campaign official, who insisted on anonymity to speak candidly, pointed to previous campaigns by Democrat Al Gore in 2000 and Republican George H.W. Bush in 1988, when both candidates sought to chart their own path from an incumbent president of the same party. "Gore took heat for not being out there with Clinton, and here we are taking heat for being too close to Bush," the official said. "This is a dance and a procedure that takes place anytime you have an incumbent president."	Reporter	Zzzzzzzzzzzz.	5	7/5/2008	Eggen, Dan		Politics
.	Washington Post—Inside Mugabe's violent crackdown, by Craig Timberg	Many of the people interviewed, including members of Mugabe's inner circle, spoke on the condition of anonymity for fear of government retribution. Much of the reporting for this article was conducted by a Zimbabwean reporter for The Post whose name is being withheld for security reasons.	Reader	War-zone exemption. Let's hope the Zimbabwean reporter got it right.	1	7/5/2008	Timberg, Craig		International
.	Wall Street Journal—U.S. News: U.S. Arrests 2 Supervisors at Agriprocessors, by Miriam Jordan	The raid exposed allegations that workers at the sprawling plant, which employed more than 900 people, were underpaid, physically abused, sexually harassed and extorted. Speaking on condition of anonymity, a U.S. government official who has visited the plant described the operation as "medieval." An investigation is still under way, and a court spokesman declined to disclose whether more arrests are likely.	Reporter	A plant that employs 900-plus people must have been viewed by an outside source who would put his name to an assessment of it.	5	7/5/2008	Jordan, Miriam		Business
.	New York Times—Questions of size and taste for Queens houses, by Kirk Semple	“I could spit and throw up,” said a Forest Hills resident of 51 years as she stood with her husband outside a big house under construction at 112th Street and 68th Avenue. The woman, who like other opponents interviewed for this story spoke only on condition of anonymity, admitted that she had never spoken with any of the Bukharian newcomers.	Source and reporter	The sources get to comment on their neighbors' poor taste but don't have to put their names to it?	5	7/5/2008	Semple, Kirk		Metro
.	New York Times—Despair drives suicide attacks by Iraqi women, by Alissa J. Rubin	“If there’s one single trend that I see, it’s the women’s relationship with the male figures that were members of A.Q.I. and were captured or killed,” said a senior military analyst, who spoke on condition of anonymity because he was discussing information that had not been released publicly.	Reader	Iraq is still a war zone.	1	7/5/2008	Rubin, Alissa J.		International
.	Los Angeles Times—Indonesia seeks to shut down Navy lab researching avian flu, by Paul Watson	"Sometimes you test a virus and you don't know if it's avian influenza, or normal flu or something completely different," said a Western scientist who spoke on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the negotiations.	Reporter	Sometimes you blind test beers and you don't know which one is the Budweiser, either.	5	7/5/2008	Watson, Paul		International
.	Washington Post—Debate over Guantanamo's fate intensifies, by Dan Eggen and Josh White	Under one scenario being considered by President Bush's Cabinet, about 80 detainees would remain at the facility in Cuba to be tried by military commissions, and about 65 others would be turned over to their native countries, according to several sources familiar with the talks, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the issue.	Reader	Highly specific information from several sources. But how many is several, I'd like to know.	1	7/4/2008	Eggen, Dan	White, Josh	Politics
.	Washington Post—Celebrity passport records popular, by Glenn Kessler	But one official said there would be little reason to look at the files unless a passport was being renewed or information was being updated. "It should be zero or one time over five years for the normal average American," he said, speaking on the condition of anonymity.	Reporter	The salient information here—that a passport file is only interesting if it has been recently updated—shouldn't be that difficult to source.	5	7/4/2008	Kessler, Glenn		National
.	New York Times—U.S. pushes U.N. sanctions on Zimbabwe and Mugabe, by Neil MacFarquhar	Even if the United States does not press a final vote, supporters believe having the threatened sanctions on the table serves as a useful prod. “Let’s have it out there as a cloud over the situation which people have to take into consideration as the mediation goes forward,” said one Western diplomat, speaking on condition of anonymity according to his ministry’s rules.	Reporter	Sanctions are a useful prod? No shit, Sherlock.	5	7/4/2008	MacFarquhar, Neil		International
.	New York Times—After six years, family reunion for ex-hostage, by Simon Romero and Anahad O'Connor	On Thursday, three American officials in Washington, speaking on the condition of anonymity while citing the sensitivity of the assistance, confirmed that the United States provided intelligence to support the operation. They offered few details about the intelligence support, but one intelligence official said that the United States provided satellite imagery to the Colombian government as it planned the operation.	Reader, just barely	A lot of styrofoam for a very small package. But the information is specific, useful to the reader, and not obtainable any other way.	3	7/4/2008	Romero, Simon	O'Connor, Anahad	International
.	Los Angeles Times—White House debates the future of Guantanamo, by Julian E. Barnes	"We have a lot of demand for legal talent, and our resources are finite," said a Pentagon lawyer. "But the word is they want to move forward energetically, and they need prosecutors, defense counsel and support personnel. So we are saluting smartly." The attorney, like other officials interviewed for this report, spoke on the condition of anonymity because no decisions about Guantanamo had been made.	Reporter	Styrofoam-to-package quotient very high. Demand for legal talent is high? No kidding. Resources finite? That's true even at a lemonade stand. Is the source really saying anything?	5	7/4/2008	Barnes, Julian E.		Politics
.	Los Angeles Times—Pakistan makes little headway in Benazir Bhutto investigation, by Laura King	The key players in the killing—those who financed the operation and recruited the assailants—remain at large, said a senior police official, speaking on condition of anonymity.	Reporter	Is it news that the key players haven't been arrested? If it isn't, why give somebody anonymity to say it?	5	7/4/2008	King, Laura		International
.	Los Angeles Times—Baron Davis confident he'll be playing with Elton Brand, by Jonathan Abrams	Brand received a new contract offer for five years and about $70 [million] from the Clippers, but the revitalized-salary-cap space Warriors swept in with a five-year, $90-million offer, according to multiple NBA sources who spoke on the condition of anonymity because they are not authorized to publicly discuss free-agent dealings.	Reporter	The second of two anonymously sourced articles by Abrams in one week. Sheesh!	5	7/4/2008	Abrams, Jonathan		Sports
.	Washington Post—McCain puts new strategist atop campaign, by Dan Balz and Michael D. Shear	"There's not a cogent message," one Republican strategist said yesterday, speaking on the condition of anonymity. "They've been attacking Obama every day, but it doesn't tie back to an overarching theme that McCain believes in."	Source and reporter	Surely the strategist has a dog in the fight. Is he co-opting the Post?	5	7/3/2008	Balz, Dan	Shear, Michael D.	Politics
.	Washington Post—Colombians briefed McCain before rescue, by Juliet Eilperin	"I don't think that there is an established protocol" for such briefings, said a McCain aide, speaking on the condition of anonymity. " 'Protocol' is not a word I would associate with this."	Reporter	I'm not sure what the anonymous source is saying, so I assume the reporter benefited from this exchange.	5	7/3/2008	Eilperin, Juliet		National
.	New York Times—Colombia plucks hostages from rebels' grasp, by Simon Romero	One American official who was briefed on the operation but spoke on the condition of anonymity confirmed the intelligence support to Colombia for the mission, but would not provide details.	Reader	The information is vague and specific at the same time. Reported from a virtual war zone on deadline. I'm gonna be a softee on this one.	1	7/3/2008	Romero, Simon		International
.	New York Times—A lucrative deal for Rush Limbaugh, by Brian Stelter	Sean Hannity, the country’s No. 2 host according to Talkers Magazine, is in contract talks with his current syndication company, ABC Radio, as well as Premiere, for a potential three-way deal, according to two sources close to the negotiations. They requested anonymity because the deal had not been signed.	Reporter	How much do we care? Enough for two anonymice to stick their noses into the Times?	5	7/3/2008	Stelter, Brian		Business


.	Los Angeles Times—Warriors make offer to Elton Brand, by Jonathan Abrams	In a whirlwind that amounted to "who has the salary cap space now?" the Golden State Warriors reached deep down the coastline and even deeper into their pocketbooks, offering free-agent forward Brand a five-year, $90-million contract, according to multiple NBA sources who requested anonymity because they are not authorized to speak publicly about player movements.	Reporter	More anonymously sourced sports articles about negotiations? Does it really matter that much?	5	7/3/2008	Abrams, Jonathan			Sports
.	Los Angeles Times—Postelection violence in Mongolia leaves 5 dead, by Mark Magnier	However, one Mongolian who requested anonymity for fear of losing his job said he had heard that special technology allowed the ruling party to inflate its vote counts.	Reporter	This sounds more like a tip than information. I don't like it.	5	7/3/2008	Magnier, Mark			International
.	Washington Post—Wizards offer Arenas top dollar, by Ivan Carter	"It's going to happen—he's going to be here," the source said, speaking on condition of anonymity. "The question is how much is he going to take and what impact is it going to have on us going forward? The ball is in his court now."	Reporter	An anonymously sourced sports article about salary negotiations? Please say it ain't so.	5	7/2/2008	Carter, Ivan			Sports
.	Washington Post—Letter Sent to Correctional Officers Urges Cooperation, by Ruben Castaneda, Ovetta Wiggins, and Avis Thomas-Lester	According to the jail employee interviewed today, another officer gave state police a statement this morning. The source asked to remain anonymous because the investigation is ongoing.	Reader	It's a story about a guy murdered in his jail cell after being arrested for running over and killing a police officer. War zone. A total reportorial war zone.	3	7/2/2008	Castaneda, Ruben	Wiggins, Ovetta	Thomas-Lester, Avis	Metro
.	Washington Post—Google ad deal is under scrutiny, by Peter Whoriskey	Investigators are planning to demand documents not only from Google and Yahoo, but also from other large companies in the Internet and media industries, said the sources, who spoke on condition of anonymity because the investigation is ongoing.	Reporter	Multiple sources, and he can't get somebody talk. Also, is the information collected really that important?	5	7/2/2008	Whoriskey, Peter			Business
.	New York Times—Poland Won’t Sign European Treaty, by Stephen Castle and Judy Dempsey	An official in Mr. Sarkozy’s administration, asked on Tuesday about the comment from the Polish president, said it was possible that European nations might move at different speeds toward unity, something most experts see as unworkable. The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because of the delicacy of the issue, ruled out further expansion without the treaty.	Source	There's that word "delicacy" again.	5	7/2/2008	Castle, Stephen	Dempsey, Judy		International
.	New York Times—Helmsley Left Dogs Billions in Her Will, by Stephanie Strom	[Leona Helmsley's] instructions, specified in a two-page “mission statement,” are that the entire trust, valued at $5 billion to $8 billion and amounting to virtually all her estate, be used for the care and welfare of dogs, according to two people who have seen the document and who described it on condition of anonymity.	Reader	What is it that Bob Woodward likes to say? Something like, Is the information any good? If it is, then the anonymity is a price worth paying.	1	7/2/2008	Strom, Stephanie			National
.	New York Times—Drivers’ Strike Stalls New York City Construction, by Steven Greenhouse	“That is absolutely not a correct number or a correct version of events,” said a member of [Local 282 of the International Brotherhood of Teamsters] bargaining team, who insisted on anonymity because union officials said they would not negotiate in the news media. “And I’m surprised that a member of management’s bargaining team would be saying these things in public.”	Source	Can you trust a member of the Teamsters bargaining team to tell the truth?	4	7/2/2008	Greenhouse, Steven			Metro
.	Los Angeles Times—U.S. spies on Iraqi army, sources say, by Greg Miller	"The bad news is we're spying on Iraqis," said the former military official. "The good news is that we have to." The former military official and several other sources described the operation on condition of anonymity because of its sensitivity. The Pentagon and U.S. intelligence agencies declined to comment.	Reader	The sourcing on this is sketchy, but let's give it a national-security exemption because the government doesn't deny it, and the information is remarkably specific.	0	7/2/2008	Miller, Greg			Iraq
.	Washington Post—Mugabe tells African peers to examine own records, by Ellen Knickmeyer	Zimbabwe's foreign minister told counterparts at the meeting that reports of voter intimidation were exaggerations by foreign news media and the U.S. government, according to two observers of the session who spoke on the condition of anonymity.	Reader	Zimbabwe is a near-war zone. The sources, while not identified by the reporter, are still identifiable to the vindictive foreign minister.	1	7/1/2008	Knickmeyer, Ellen			International
.	Washington Post—Iraq Opens Oil Fields To Global Bidding: 60% Increase In Output Sought, by Sudarsan Raghavan and Steven Mufson	"How this is going to be done is an open question, and I don't think anyone in the oil industry expects that's going to be resolved anytime soon," said an oil company official who spoke on the condition of anonymity because his company is in the midst of negotiations with Iraq. …. An official at one of the companies, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because negotiations were continuing, said each contract could be worth hundreds of millions of dollars, including the cost of some new equipment. Each of the five contracts would set a goal of increasing oil output by 100,000 barrels a day by late 2009 or mid-2010.	Source and reporter	Couldn't the reporters have figured out that the contracts would be worth hundreds of millions without relying on anonymous sources?	4	7/1/2008	Raghavan, Sudarsan	Mufson, Steven		Iraq
.	Washington Post—European Lawmaker To Sue U.S. Over Data: Suit Illustrates Sticking Point in Transatlantic Pact, by Ellen Nakashima	A DHS official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because department officials generally do not discuss specific cases, said that in't Veld was not "on any list," including the no-fly list, and that she had not sought redress through DHS's Traveler Redress Inquiry Program (TRIP).	Reader	The excuse given—"because department officials generally do not discuss specific cases"—would apply to, what, 10 million government employees? The saving grace here is that the quanta of information revealed—Veld is not on any list—is real.	3	7/1/2008	Nakashima, Ellen			National
.	New York Times—Networks Lie Low on Actors’ Contract, by Bill Carter	“Last year we were being told every day: ‘I want to see a plan,’” said a senior program executive at a third network, who, like all the executives who spoke for this article, requested anonymity because of an agreement not to speak on the record about what action the networks might take in the event of a strike. “So far, no one has asked to see a plan about what we’ll do if the actors go out. If they were worried, they’d be in our faces every day, asking, ‘Are you guys ready?’”	Source and reporter	I've gleaned more useful data from infomercials.	5	7/1/2008	Carter, Bill			Business
.	New York Times—India Leader Struggles to Complete Nuclear Deal, by Somini Sengupta	The prime minister, determined to make the nuclear accord a legacy of his administration, has concluded that his private talks with the Communists reached “a dead end,” said a government official who spoke with him. Because of the delicacy of the issue, this official, and others in New Delhi and Washington, spoke on condition of anonymity.	Reporter and maybe the source	Because every diplomatic initiative is "delicate," reporters on diplomatic beats overrely on anonymously sourced information. Be suspicious of passages like these, which sometimes read like a message from the source to another part of the diplomatic community. Specifically, is the Times carrying the Indian government's message to the Communists about being fed up?	4	7/1/2008	Sengupta, Somini			International
.	Los Angeles Times—Recipient of Countrywide VIP loan says he sought no favors, by E. Scott Reckard	Other top executives at the company also were authorized to make VIP loans, but no one rivaled the numbers put up by [Countrywide Financial Corp. Chief Executive Angelo R.] Mozilo, a former Countrywide executive said, speaking on condition of anonymity because he had not been authorized to discuss the program.	Source and reporter	Info content: low. Specificity: low. Self-service quotient for the source: high.	4	7/1/2008	Reckard, E. Scott			Business
.	New York Times—U.S. Advised Iraqi Ministry on Oil Deals, by Andrew E. Kramer	The advisers—who, along with the diplomatic official, spoke on condition of anonymity—say that their involvement was only to help an understaffed Iraqi ministry with technical and legal details of the contracts and that they in no way helped choose which companies got the deals.	Reader	The information content in this anonymously sourced article appears to be high, or at least falsifiable, which recommends it. And the sources don't appear to be self-serving.	1	6/30/2008	Kramer, Andrew E.			Iraq
.	New York Times—Siemens Is Said to Be Preparing To Cut More Than 17,000 Jobs, by David Jolly	Siemens, the German engineering and electronics company, plans to cut 17,200 mostly white-collar jobs as it reorganizes to reduce its cost base, a person who has been briefed on the plans said on Sunday. ... The person spoke on the condition of anonymity because the plans will not be officially announced until the Siemens workers’ council meets with management on July 7 about the layoffs.	Source and Reporter	Is it worth granting anonymity to a "person" for giving a sneak peak at staff reductions? A case could be made if the "person" was a company insider or a union official. As written, the vague anonymous sourcing encourages readers to speculate that the leak is part of the PR gambit by Siemens.	4	6/30/2008	Jolly, David			Business
.	Los Angeles Times—Who will Obama and McCain pick for running mates?, by Doyle McManus	People around Obama have confirmed that [Evan Bayh] is under consideration. The Indiana senator, a moderate, was a prominent Hillary Rodham Clinton supporter in the primaries, so his choice would be another step toward party unity. "There's a lot to recommend him," said one Democratic strategist who spoke on condition of anonymity because the Obama campaign has banned any comments on the selection process.	Reporter	This empty assessment could be applied to anybody whose name as been mentioned as a possible veep. Talk about zero information content. And this was written by the Los Angeles Times' Washington bureau chief!	5	6/30/2008	McManus, Doyle			Politics
.	Los Angeles Times—Britain contends with widening terror threat, by Sebastian Rotella	"Here was a man with a borderline IQ and mental problems who was apparently recruited by extremists," said a senior British anti-terrorism official, who asked to remain anonymous because of restrictions on discussing investigations. "It's a method that we are aware of in Iraq. This shows we have to expand our attention to new areas where radicalization can take place. Not just prisons or schools, but mental institutions and the mentally ill."	Reporter	The quotation adds little new information other than to show that the reporter talked to an anonymous source.	5	6/30/2008	Rotella, Sebastian			Terrorism
.	Washington Post—Pakistani Forces Move In On Taliban: U.S. has urged action against insurgents, by Candace Rondeaux	A military official who spoke on the condition of anonymity confirmed that some of the bodies had been mutilated.	Reader	Give the Post credit for confirming the mutilations, but dock it a point for not telling the reader why the source must be anonymous. Reported in a war zone, so it gets a couple of bonus points.	3	6/29/2008	Rondeaux, Candace			International


.	Los Angeles Times—The rise and fall of a Sons of Iraq warrior, by Ned Parker	"The coalition twisted Maliki's arm on the committee," the official said on condition of anonymity, referring to the prime minister's decision to create the body last year. "And now he has decided, we don't need it. As far as he is concerned, this is an American problem."	Source and Reporter	Arm-twisting by a coalition sounds like the work of contortionists. There's not enough info here to judge the approximate truth value of the information.	4	6/29/2008	Parker, Ned		Iraq
.	Los Angeles Times—San Bernardino's 'Dead Presidents' murder trial exposes gang intrigue, greed, by Sam Quinones	"You grow up with somebody 15 or 20 years and he tries to kill you," said a gang member who grew up with the Agudos and Mendozas, and requested anonymity for fear of reprisal.	Reporter	Hasn't everyone been almost murdered by a longtime acquaintance? The information gained is hardly worth the granting of anonymity.	4	6/29/2008	Quinones, Sam		Crime
.	Los Angeles Times—Pentagon paints a bleak picture for Afghan south, by Peter Spiegel and Julian E. Barnes	"The Marines have been highly successful," said a senior Pentagon official, who requested anonymity when discussing internal decision-making. "The question will be how do we build upon that to get to the stability and hold endgame."	Source and Reporter	"I'm doing an excellent job," said the press critic who doesn't like to take credit for his brilliance. "The question is, How can I do any better?"	5	6/29/2008	Spiegel, Peter	Barnes, Julian E.	Afghanistan
.	Los Angeles Times—Number of abortions rising in Middle East, experts say, by Borzou Daragahi	"If access to contraceptives was widely and freely available, abortion wouldn't be necessary," said an official at a Western family planning organization in Yemen. She spoke on condition of anonymity for fear her organization would be targeted.	Reporter	Had the source said something substantive, you could call her a whistleblower. But this quotation appears, it seems, to show that the reporter actually talked to real people.	5	6/29/2008	Daragahi, Borzou		International
.	Los Angeles Times—Nigerian conflicts tighten oil bottleneck, by Paul Richter	Some senior U.S. military and North Atlantic Treaty Organization officials have urged the Bush administration to build up Nigeria's weak coastal navy, or even use U.S. naval vessels along with other regional forces to patrol Nigerian waters, said officials who spoke about the internal discussions on condition of anonymity.	Reporter	This attribution is fuzzier than a Georgia peach. "Some senior ... officials" is laughably nonspecific, and "urging" somebody to do something isn't very solid, either. How many "officials" spoke to the reporter? Was it two or 20?	4	6/29/2008	Richter, Paul		Crime
.	Los Angeles Times—Leaks, focus on single suspect undercut anthrax probe, by David Willman	"They exhausted a tremendous amount of time and energy on him," said one of the FBI agents involved with the case who spoke to The Times on condition of anonymity because the investigation is continuing.	Reporter	Why give an FBI agent protective cover to state the obvious about the Steven Hatfill/anthrax investigation?	5	6/28/2008	Willman, David		National