Much has been said about The Daily’s use of anonymous sources to tell the story of a freshman who unexpectedly gave birth in Walker Tower a week ago.
At the request of the mother, The Daily’s editors decided to keep the young woman and her roommate, who delivered the baby, anonymous. Many readers have criticized the decision, saying the subject of the story, the use of anonymous sources, or both, were unprofessional.
We disagree.
Anonymous sources are often essential to good, accurate storytelling. Throughout history, many important stories have relied on anonymous sources, and indeed would not have been told if their sources had not been guaranteed anonymity.
We don’t imagine there would have been similar complaints if we had used an anonymous source to reveal a scandal on campus. And while a birth in the dorms isn’t Watergate, it is an important story for the student community that is served by The Daily.
Most unplanned pregnancies aren’t newsworthy. However, when a freshman finds out she’s pregnant minutes before holding her child, who was delivered by her astonished roommate, the story deserves attention.
Just as journalists, who should serve as the watchdogs of a society, are obligated to reveal scandals and illegal activity, they are also obligated to report stories of social significance. Both sometimes require keeping sources anonymous.
All of the information in the stories was confirmed by multiple sources other than the two young women involved. Only after much discussion and fact-checking did we make the decision to grant anonymity.
Doing so served two purposes. The Daily’s readers were given accurate information about a campus event that had generated a cloud of rumors. And a young mother was given the ability to tell her story without jeopardizing her ability to one day tell her son about the circumstances surrounding his birth in the time and manner of her choosing.
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Bubba 3 years, 3 months ago
True that. But, could you imagine if a Freshman young woman came forth with an "I haven't decided my major, but am about to have a baby" story. Would the public be coming to her aid. I think it's the sensationalism of the story, coupled with a picture of the baby. I don't know, with reality t.v. and blogging and crap, everything seems to have a "top this" quality nowadays. The "miracle" birth just seems to fit in with the sensationalism that so often holds our attention for a bit. -Bubba P.S. are we going to have to refer to the baby as "Couch Walker Junior"?
livi0293 3 years, 3 months ago
Lindsay is so right on this one. The fact that there was a disclaimer before the article about how the Daily doesn't like to use anonymous sources and then uses it for this type of story is kinda wierd. She had the baby in a residence hall, that is news and her name should have been used, even if she didn't want to talk to the press. Its just reeks of the type of softball journalism that is practiced in the Bible Belt, especially by the The Oklahoman.
Still love you guys though, keep doing your thing!
lindsayjhodges 3 years, 3 months ago
This story is in no way important enough or relevant enough to warrant anonymous sources. It is an eye-catching, juicy story that was bound to get attention and so it was hard to let go because of the obstacle of anonymous sources. I understand that. I was the opinion editor at the Daily and news editor for the Hub in recent years, so I understand exactly why and how you came to this conclusion. However, I truly feel that it was misjudged and not warranted. It's an interesting story, no doubt, but is it worth stepping in to 'anonymous sources territory' (which is a dangerous thing and should be reserved only for the very crucial stories) for this? No, I don't believe so.
swiggy3000 3 years, 3 months ago
Anonymous sources are used all the time. This story may not be Watergate or any story of that magnitude but if someone wishes to remain anonymous it's a journalists responsibility to adhere to that, if they wish to report the story. I applaud the Daily for keeping the names private.