The Washington Post homepage. The LA Times homepage. More than most mega stories before it, the coverage of this seemingly endless scandal has been driven by stories attributed to anonymous, unidentified sources. I'm briefing today as an anonymous source. Why anonymous sources are used.
Anonymous sources serve a purpose, of course.
Last week, for example, just before the president's videotaped testimony was to be released, there was a rash of anonymous reports about an angry president who allegedly stomped out of the room. The William Jefferson Clinton who sat here in the Map Room of the White House last month and testified before the grand jury was not the smooth, polished performer we've come to expect. Congressional sources who've seen the four-hour tape describe this Clinton as often irritable, at times so angry he turns purple. NBC's Lisa Myers was one among many who had quoted anonymous sources, but once the tape was broadcast, the media found themselves wondering where that angry president went. Clearly you're not seeing that.