Editorial: Anonymous sources

This week several people asked why we would print a story based in part on an anonymous source? The fact is that often news stories are developed from unidentified sources. In the past three months we have received two anonymous tips that resulted in four stories. Sometimes information is provided over the telephone, as was the case last Friday. That caller provided their name, but asked that it not be made public. We’re working on that story during the upcoming weeks.

We printed stories this week and last after talking to recipients of the letter (off the record), talking to public officials...