We'll End Background If You Drop Anonymous Sources: Scott McClellan, President Bush's press secretary, said Tuesday evening that he would end the use of background-only briefings -- if White House reporters would stop using anonymous sources in their reporting. [...]
"You may have misinterpreted my remarks," McClellan wrote in an e-mail. "I was simply saying that this is a larger issue than just background briefings in any administration, as I indicated to you. It is about the widespread use of anonymous sources by the media, an issue that media organizations have acknowledged -- see today's New York Times story. My comment to you was reflecting that I would welcome the media getting rid of anonymous sourcing -- with some rare exceptions that are more than justifiable."
