Here’s When Story From Anonymous Sources Is Legal, Not Fake News
It is not uncommon to see news stories these days that cite information from unnamed US officials , but in an age of fake news, how can the discerning reader be sure that “anonymous sources” are not code for “completely fictional propaganda”?
FiveThirtyEight has a guide to reading stories with unnamed sources , and it includes tips such as specifying the number of sources (the more sources, the more likely it is true), distrusting the predictions of anonymous sources, figuring out who wrote the article and if it is theme. they regularly report on events and see if a government official reacts vaguely to a story.
When to Trust a Story Using Unnamed Sources | Five thirty eight