Quote:
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Publishers Lunch wagers further that the comment leaked to Business Insider—which counts Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos as an investor—”may be Amazon’s way of telling Harper, their authors, and others that the bookseller’s patience has worn out.”
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Maybe, or maybe not. I don't think Bezos would micro-manage a press outlet he owns, much less one he just invested it.
The journalistic ethics of using anonymous sources isn't an easy subject.
Ideally you want multiple sources. But if you just have one, and parties are in dispute, at least give the reader an idea of what side the source is on. An unnamed high Iranian government official commenting on negotiations? I'll read that article. But it would be ridiculous to quote an anonymous source who, for all we know, is either French, American, Israeli, or Iranian.
What does
Business Insider being unable to tell you what side its source is on indicate? It tells me that the deep-throat wannabe here is, even more than the norm for anonymous sources, bent on manipulating public opinion.
If you want to manipulate me, at least tell me who you represent.