Wired Launches Major Investigation Into Anonymous by Promising Not to Out Anonymous
Wired magazine's web site is doing something that sounds cool—"embedding" a reporter with the Anonymous movement, so she can write a "concise history of the lulzy collective...explain their social structure, and [d]ocument their exploits and raids as they arise." Oh, and she promises never to reveal the identity of any Anon, anywhere. Because that would be mean!
Freelance reporter Quinn Norton is taking on the project for Wired (she'll also be covering the Occupy Wall Street movement concurrently), and in her introductory post, she pledged never to report on who Anonymous actually is: "I will never seek to unmask any Anons."
OK then! If you don't want to know who Anonymous actually is, then read Quinn Norton's investigation, which is called "Anonymous: BehindBeyond the Mask," which is an odd name for a project that promises not to unmask anyone.
We asked Norton why she would make such a pledge in advance. Here's what she said:
I not only plan on not revealing identities, I plan on not knowing them. In fact, i've told the Anons I'm working with that if I find out who they are, I'll stop working with them. I don't believe the story I'm writing requires it. This is in part to protect them, in part to help build relationships with them as sources, and above all to avoid any personal entanglements with law enforcement.
Journalism!