Globe and Mail

So today's G&M has anonymous sources talking about how Stephen Harper must go. This, after some idiot leaked something to Bourque about Jim Flaherty running for leader. I know a few things in politics and one of them is this: Jim Flaherty is not running for the leadership of the Conservative Party of Canada

But right now I want to talk about G&M's anonymous sources.

I remember a West Wing episode where Abbey Bartlet had a fairly good quote about anonymous sources. Here is what she said:

"Unnamed sources. C.J., unnamed sources make me crazy. Just one time, I'd like to see...
instead of "according to unnamed sources" I'd like to see according to tweaky little
ill-informed chicken-ass wannabe... Don't ever come to me again with unnamed sources,"

That's exactly how I feel about cowards who hide behind anonymous sources. There are two distinct possibilities here:

1. G&M is looking for any idiot to bash Harper and will talk to a former Riding Membership Secretary from 1975 and call them anonymous to hide the fact that they are fishing for a story that has no legs, or

2. Someone who is actually important, possibly an MP from Western Canada.. hint.. hint, is trying to unseat Harper not realizing that a) even if Harper lost, this MP would not have the money to run a leadership campaign and b) if Harper goes it is unlikely that our next leader will be from Western Canada.

Either way, as Lanny Cardow points out, there is a reason why so many papers have banned anonymous sources from being quoted in stories.

Anonymous source is just journalist talk for coward. I remember after the Ontario PC leadership race I had a reporter come to me and give me a chance to bash one of the other candidates "anonymously." I told the reporter: "I think XXXX will have to answer for his own actions, but other than that I have nothing to say." Right after I said it, I felt sick to my stomach. Even though I hadn't said anything bad, I knew that it might get twisted. I didn't feel like being the jackass, anonymous source that everyone was trying to kill. (Having worked for the Alliance during the Stockwell Day time, I can tell you how staffers feel about anonymous sources.) I have now made it a rule: if I am talking to a reporter, I will make sure they have my name.

Because unlike the jackasses talking to G&M, I don't to be called a coward.

Cowards!