The New York Yankees’ Alex Rodriguez purchased documents linking him to the Biogenesis steroid scandal in an effort to suppress incriminating information. How do we know? Because the New York Times tells us so. The perpetuation of the A-Rod witch-hunt is made possible through the magic of anonymous sources and the generous use of hearsay.
The anonymous sources used by the New York Times were “two people” who said “investigators” were told by “ex-employees” that “various people” sold documents to an “intermediary” working for Alex Rodriguez. No kidding.
According to The New York Times’ Michael Schmidt in “Yankees’ Rodriguez Tied to Clinic Records Purchase” (April 12, 2013):
The two people said that the investigators were told by the ex-employees and others that documents said to be from the clinic had been put up for sale by various people and that Rodriguez had arranged for an intermediary to purchase at least some of them.
Take a moment to digest that sentence. The story doesn’t just involve anonymous sourcing. It includes hearsay evidence offered by anonymous sources. And not just hearsay. But triple hearsay.
Is such a best friend’s sister’s boyfriend’s uncle’s version of events even allowed in journalism?
Well, it is the New York Times.
Anonymous sourcing has long been a topic of debate in journalism ethics. Sometimes the public has a need to know and the public interest is best served by the use of anonymous sources.
Without the use of anonymous sources, there would have been no “Deep Throat”. And there would have been no Watergate scandal.
The public interest was clearly served by Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein.
But what about the question of whether Alex Rodriguez uses anabolic steroids?
Is A-Rod’s alleged use of steroids sufficiently important to justify the use of anonymous sources. Is anonymous sourcing appropriate in any story that tries to identify professional athletes who are steroid users?
Even if you think it is a journalistic necessity in these cases, does journalism really need anonymous sources to provide triple hearsay evidence?
The New York Times thinks so. And so goes the neighborhood.
About the author
Millard writes about anabolic steroids and performance enhancing drugs and their use and impact in sport and society. He discusses the medical and non-medical uses of anabolic-androgenic steroids while advocating a harm reduction approach to steroid education.
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