Since October 7, US officials have been quietly admitting in the press that Joe Biden fully supports Israel’s war — and that talk about the president’s supposed anger at massive civilian casualties in Gaza is purely PR to keep the war going.
“trust me bro” is not a source.
“Sources familiar with the matter” is not a source.
Nameless “officials” are not a source.
the NYT’s is as guilty of passing those off as sources just as much as any other media outlet. But without a specific name. a specific reference, it’s pure bullshit. if they had a source, they’d name them.
In 2005, at age 91, Felt revealed to Vanity Fair magazine that during his tenure as Deputy Director of the FBI he had been the notorious anonymous source known as “Deep Throat”, who provided The Washington Post reporters Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein with critical information about the Watergate scandal, which ultimately led to the resignation of President Richard Nixon in 1974. Woodward, who had long vowed not to reveal Deep Throat’s identity while the source was still alive, quickly confirmed Felt’s claim. Though Felt’s identity as Deep Throat was suspected, including by Nixon himself, it had generally remained a secret for 30 years. Felt finally acknowledged that he was Deep Throat after being persuaded by his daughter to reveal his identity before his death.
“trust me bro” is not a source. “Sources familiar with the matter” is not a source. Nameless “officials” are not a source.
the NYT’s is as guilty of passing those off as sources just as much as any other media outlet. But without a specific name. a specific reference, it’s pure bullshit. if they had a source, they’d name them.
You clearly have no idea how a free press has worked for the past several centuries, have you? Anonymous sources are used all the time.
Indeed they are; here’s one of the most famous examples: