It's an expectation of reporters that they not engage with their subject/what they are observing and reporting on. For instance, when photographers travel to Africa and take pictures of starving children, they are bound by the expectation of their profession not to feed those starving children. Sucks, but if you want to impact a storyline, you're automatically disallowed from the role of "journalist," which is de facto meant as an independent, outside observer who does just that - observe and observe only. http://rarehistoricalphotos.com/vulture-little-girl/ If you are a journalist, and make it a habit to publicize who your sources are when they've asked you not to, you will soon find that you will no longer be able to locate sources or be much of a journalist after you begin blabbing about who told you all these great things you're reporting on. You're missing a whole important part of what the "author" feels his occupation is and the particular 'ethics' of that profession.