or I'm sure that you all have seen news stories that quoted or referred to an “unnamed source” or some other source. You may have wondered who this source was and what his/her job was. Let me clarify this for you. There are various types of sources for news. Where that source is from can determine what the source is called. For example, a source might be declared as a “government source” or an “industry source” because they work for the industry for the government. Other common sources are:
An Insider Source—a source who works indoors.
Confidential Source—a source that is very confident.
Official Source—someone who has the job title of “official source”.
Anonymous Source—usually a source whose name the reporter has forgotten.
Unnamed Source—often an anonymous source but usually a source the reporter doesn’t name because it might piss the source off.
A Spokesperson—an official source for an organization.
A Close Source—a source who stands very near someone in the news and is also an anonymous source., For example, “sources close to the POTUS”.
Anyone who works at the Pentagon can be a Pentagon Source or a Pentagon Insider. When I worked at the Pentagon, I was surprised to discover that reporters will randomly call the Pentagon telephone numbers hoping that someone, anyone will answer the phone. No matter who answers, the reporters will fire off questions on the current situation. Pentagon sources are classified as:
High-level Pentagon Source – Someone who works on the fifth floor of the Pentagon-- sometimes referred to as a “Top-level” Pentagon source.
Pentagon Source – Someone who works at the Pentagon but not on the fifth floor.
Confidential Pentagon Source – Someone who works at the Pentagon but can't remember what floor he/she works on, a common malady at the Pentagon.
Reporters classify the information they gain from sources as:
"On the record": This means the reporter recorded it on something other than a piece of paper. All that is said can be quoted and attributed.
"Unattributable": This means the report has no idea what the source said.
"Off the record": This means that the batteries went dead on the reporter’s recorder.
I hope this clarifies the source of news for you.
An Insider Source—a source who works indoors.
Confidential Source—a source that is very confident.
Official Source—someone who has the job title of “official source”.
Anonymous Source—usually a source whose name the reporter has forgotten.
Unnamed Source—often an anonymous source but usually a source the reporter doesn’t name because it might piss the source off.
A Spokesperson—an official source for an organization.
A Close Source—a source who stands very near someone in the news and is also an anonymous source., For example, “sources close to the POTUS”.
Anyone who works at the Pentagon can be a Pentagon Source or a Pentagon Insider. When I worked at the Pentagon, I was surprised to discover that reporters will randomly call the Pentagon telephone numbers hoping that someone, anyone will answer the phone. No matter who answers, the reporters will fire off questions on the current situation. Pentagon sources are classified as:
High-level Pentagon Source – Someone who works on the fifth floor of the Pentagon-- sometimes referred to as a “Top-level” Pentagon source.
Pentagon Source – Someone who works at the Pentagon but not on the fifth floor.
Confidential Pentagon Source – Someone who works at the Pentagon but can't remember what floor he/she works on, a common malady at the Pentagon.
Reporters classify the information they gain from sources as:
"On the record": This means the reporter recorded it on something other than a piece of paper. All that is said can be quoted and attributed.
"Unattributable": This means the report has no idea what the source said.
"Off the record": This means that the batteries went dead on the reporter’s recorder.
I hope this clarifies the source of news for you.
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