To: The Sydney Morning Herald

Sent: Monday, 21 January 2002 8:47 PM

Subject: "Gossips Anonymous" - the Reuters view...


Michael Hohensee (Letters, SMH 21-01-02) is himself somewhat elastic with his attributions when he stretches time to make a point, baldly stating that "Once it was unacceptable for print journalists not to name their sources." When exactly was this meritorious 'once'? I checked back as far as April 1964 when, as a young staff correspondent in Bonn, I was issued a "Basic Brief for Reuter Correspondents" which, under editor Doon Campbell's signature, recapitulated existing standard rules as "a reminder of the principles on which we work". (The slim volume is marked 'Confidential', but let me invoke the 30-year-rule...)

I quote from page 2: "_Sources_: Every story must have a source... We give the source in the first paragraph... A hard or named source is always preferable to an unidentifiable one. The price of obtaining certain information today however is to disguise the source." The brief then runs through a hierarchy of sources from "authoritative source" through "competent sources" to "reliable sources" and so on, complete with advice on where and how to use such attributions.

So, clearly, that mythical "Once" was well before my time - and certainly way before Mike's! Thus nostalgy makes buffoons of us all... Happy subbing, Mike, and regards from 'U-boat'!