Here’s a counter intuative statement from Bob Woodword:

“We need more unnamed sources, because people who are on the record are lying.”

My position has always been, and will remain: The opposite is true. I don’t trust stories sourced with unnamed government officials. It’s much easier to lie when you know your name is going to be kept out of the story, and a journalist is probably willing to go to jail to protect your identity. That’s the perfect time spin.

Of course, much of what passes for unsourced journalism inside the beltway is just gossip and rumor anyway. It has nothing to do with fact or serving democracy.