Use of anonymous sources to report on the 2022 invasion of Ukraine
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This thesis explores anonymous sourcing practices in American news media coverage of the war in Ukraine, with a focus on theoretical frames examining journalism's authority and normative roles. Through a qualitative, text-based analysis of 96 articles from four major U.S. outlets -- The Washington Post, The New York Times, CNN, and USA Today -- this study interprets how anonymity was used to navigate the challenges of reporting on war. Findings indicate journalists often relied on unnamed sources, particularly U.S. officials, to access sensitive information. This reinforced official narratives, a pattern deeply rooted in war reporting traditions. Drawing from Christians et. al.'s framework of journalism's four normative roles, this research finds anonymity played a critical role in supporting both the monitorial and collaborative functions of journalism through enabling access, trust building with sources, and the communication of complex wartime developments. This study, however, reflects on the consequences of relying on anonymous sourcing -- Namely, potential risks to journalistic credibility and public trust. Ultimately, this thesis contributes to the scholarship on journalistic authority and media practices during conflict by situating anonymous sourcing as both a necessary tool and a complicated site of negotiation between press access, credibility, and political influence.
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M.A.