“An independent journalist” who won't remain nameless

Context: Independent scoop and lack of credit

• Thread centers on an independent reporter who broke a deportation-to-Rwanda story, then watched major outlets pick it up with little or no credit.
• Some see her anger as fully justified and label big outlets’ behavior “abusive,” arguing they have ample resources to both verify and credit.
• Others say large outlets are structurally reluctant to hang a high‑risk story on an unknown Substack writer; they prefer to verify themselves or cite another “name” outlet, even if that’s unfair.

Attribution, plagiarism, and academic parallels

• Several commenters liken this to plagiarism: universities punish it harshly, while newsrooms often repackage reporting with minimal acknowledgment.
• Others nuance it: academia punishes uncredited copying of ideas, not just words, but also incentivizes paraphrasing and citation games.
• Some argue that journalism treats “credit” much more loosely than academia, and that this harms independent reporters.

Source citation, links, and primary documents

• Strong frustration that journalism rarely links to primary sources (studies, laws, court filings), forcing readers to hunt them down.
• Some think outlets avoid links to keep “eyeballs” on-site; others blame laziness and lack of incentives.
• There’s confusion between “citing sources” as in documents vs. “sources” as in people; several comments try to separate those concepts.

Anonymous sources vs. open-source journalism

• One camp argues journalism should be “open source”: documents and sources exposed as much as safely possible; anonymous sources are seen as manipulative and agenda-driven.
• Others push back: protecting sources is central to journalism, especially under political or legal risk, and vetting/triangulation by editors and legal teams is the safeguard.
• Debate continues over whether reliance on anonymous sources inherently distorts coverage.

Mainstream media as entertainment/business

• Many frame modern news as primarily entertainment, advertising, and propaganda, explaining reluctance to send readers to competitors and the prevalence of derivative, wire-based content.
• Some note that historically local papers were credited when nationals picked up their scoops; consolidation and deregulation are blamed for eroding those norms.

Independent journalists, bloggers, and trust

• Some argue there’s no meaningful line between “journalist” and “blogger”; anyone doing structured investigative work is a journalist.
• Others worry about distinguishing serious independents from partisan activists and conspiracy bloggers, especially without editorial oversight.
• Commenters report increasingly relying on niche newsletters/blogs, but acknowledge the extra burden of evaluating their credibility and biases.