The Editor,
I am writing to express my concern and disappointment about the practice of English
language newspapers in Phnom Penh of increasingly allowing unsourced quotes. I will
preface my comments by saying that I understand that identifying sources in this
political environment is risky, and some people who speak off-the-record to journalists
or who request anonymity have legitimitate fears for their safety. However, I strongly
believe that generally this is not the case. One recent and glaring example was a
brief story in the Cambodia Daily (10 April, pg 8), "Int'l NGOs Weigh Response
to Attack". The journalist reported that..."An NGO representative, who
requested anonymity, said that individuals are welcome to sign the (joint) statement
at the UNCHR or the office of Medicam." I fail to see a legimitate reason for
this "cloak and dagger" approach to a public announcement. I can only imagine
that the anonymous NGO representative was not authorized to speak to the media, but
then surely it is the journalist's responsibility to locate someone who was authorized.
This type of anonymous sourcing has many direct and indirect consequences. Directly,
it is an encouragement to others to withhold their names, thus making it difficult
for journalists to get anyone to admit to saying anything. It allows people to make
statements with impunity and without accountability that can be inflammatory, inaccurate,
irresponsible, lacking in credibility or based entirely on conjecture and rumor.
It simply permits unidentified sources to say whatever they like, under the protection
of an "expert" or "observer" title. It also ensures that access
to information is limited to those select few who are "in the know" about
who the source is, encouraging the exercise of hoarding information sources. Newspapers
that allow a large number of unsourced quotes are responsible for not only perpetuating
this unprofessional practice, but also for lowering the standards of investigative
journalism. Why look for corroborative information when you can have an unsourced
statement which is widely accepted? I understand the difficulties involved with getting
accurate and truthful information in Cambodia, leading journalists to accept a quote
from an unidentified source just to get the information on the page. This is not
the answer; it is, in fact, part of the problem. Indirectly, allowing this practice
sends the message that threats to freedom of speech are both powerful and tolerated;
powerful enough to fear reprisals and tolerated perhaps in order to protect jobs
and relationships. It is time people stood up and spoke loudly and honestly about
the issues facing Cambodia, and I am confident that when people start, others will
follow.
Name withheld (only kidding).
- Sophie Pinwill, Phnom Penh.
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