Blind Quote

A blind quote is a statement published by a journalist without identifying the person who said it. Instead of a name, the source is described in general terms — for example, "a senior White House official," "a Western diplomat," or "a person familiar with the negotiations." The practice sits at the intersection of source protection, editorial judgment, and reader trust.

Blind quotes typically arise when a source has information of public interest but faces professional, legal, or personal risk if named. In diplomatic and national-security reporting they are especially common, because officials are often barred from speaking on the record about classified files, ongoing negotiations, or internal disputes. Reporters and sources usually negotiate the attribution in advance under conventions such as on background (quotable with a generic descriptor), deep background (usable but not quotable), or off the record (not publishable at all).

Major outlets impose internal rules to limit overuse. The New York Times, Washington Post, Reuters, and the AP each maintain written standards requiring editors to know the source's identity, to justify anonymity, and to avoid blind quotes that contain personal attacks. The AP Stylebook states that anonymous sources should be used only when the material is factual information, not opinion, and cannot be obtained on the record.

Critics argue that blind quotes can be exploited by officials to float trial balloons, settle internal scores, or shape narratives without accountability — a concern raised repeatedly during Iraq-war reporting in 2002–2003 and in coverage of leaks from intelligence agencies. Defenders note that without them, much investigative and diplomatic journalism would be impossible, citing cases such as Watergate, where "Deep Throat" (later revealed in 2005 as FBI associate director Mark Felt) supplied Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein with crucial guidance.

For MUN delegates and IR researchers, blind quotes are useful signals but weak evidence: they should be triangulated against on-the-record statements, official documents, and reporting from competing outlets before being cited in position papers or briefs.