'Scoops' based on anonymous sources often wrong

There's a slop of "news" reported on television and the Internet based on anonymous sources.

You have to decide if you're going to believe it.

The N&O's Andy Curliss, a first-rate reporter who recently became an assistant sports editor, has been tracking the "scoops" from ESPN, the self-described "Worldwide Leader in Sports":

* Late on July 16 and early July 17, ESPN said former Atlanta Falcon quarterback Michael Vick was unlikely to be indicted in the dogfighting federal investigation, according to unnamed sources. On July 17, Vick was indicted.

* On Dec. 1, ESPN reported, based on a single anonymous source, that the University of Michigan would announce that Louisiana State University's Les Miles would be the Wolverines' next football coach. Michigan hired Rich Rodriguez from West Virginia.

* On Dec. 4, ESPN cited anonymous sources to report that Arkansas was prepared to offer Clemson football coach Tommy Bowden more than $2 million a year to take its vacant job. The State newspaper in Columbia, S.C., reported the story aggressively and was never able to confirm that Bowden was offered the job. Bowden is still at Clemson.

Sports reporting is highly competitive, and the temptation to go with the story can be overpowering. On Dec. 5, several media outlets in Arkansas reported that Wake Forest football coach Jim Grobe would be the next coach at Arkansas. Grobe stayed at Wake.

Newspapers also have been burned by using anonymous sources. The Los Angeles Times cited anonymous sources in 2006 to report that pitcher Roger Clemens and three other players had been named in an affidavit given by a former major leaguer. The affidavit was part of a federal doping investigation.

The affidavit recently was unsealed. Clemens and the three other players were not named.

Clemens has denied using performance enhancers, although his alleged steroid use was described in a recent report by former U.S. Sen. George Mitchell.

At The N&O, we discourage the use of anonymous sources and rarely use them.

When we do, the information has to be factual. It has to come from sources with first-hand knowledge. There must be no other way to get the story on the record. And it has to be approved by me or a senior deputy.

We used anonymous sources to report that Herb Sendek was leaving N.C. State, that Sidney Lowe would replace him and that David Cutcliffe would be the new football coach at Duke.

Each time, we used multiple sources with first-hand information. For the Cutcliffe story, there were four sources; for the Lowe story, five.

Each time, we got it right.

You can believe our competitors who use anonymous sources promiscuously.

Or you can believe us.