Absurd Moments In Anonymous Sources

What does it say about both Time magazine and the Israeli Prime Minister’s Office that a “no-comment” on rumors (rumors!) couldn’t be attributed to anyone by name?

Is there any explanation for this absurd moment in anonymous sources?

A senior Israeli official reached by TIME says Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office is declining to comment on the rumors of a possible cease-fire and suggests “exercising caution” in giving credence to the reports.

Anonymous sources are sometimes necessary, but the lack of transparency forces readers to blindly trust the sources and the reporters quoting them. And that can lead to more flagrant abuses, such as recent examples at Reuters and the Wall St. Journal.

This example’s just flaky.

And you can quote me on that.

Image: CC BY-SA HonestReporting, flickr/Boris SV