But we know our credibility is on the line. So we make sure to get the story right.

“Under our guidelines, anonymous sources should be used only for information that we think is newsworthy and credible, and that we are not able to report any other way,” our standards editor, Phil Corbett, explains in our series Understanding The Times.

“We have to be skeptical,” he adds. “How does the source know this information? Can we corroborate it? What’s the source’s motivation for telling us?”

And the reporter must tell an editor who the source is.

“Use of anonymous sourcing in any story must be approved by a high-ranking editor, usually a department head,” Mr. Corbett writes. “When it’s central to the story, it generally must be approved by an even higher-ranking editor.”

That’s it for this briefing. Have a good weekend. — Chris

Thank you

To Aisha Harris for the cultural highlights, and Alan Henry and Kenneth R. Rosen for the tips on Smarter Living. Jennifer Krauss, from the Times Insider team, helped with today’s Back Story. You can reach us at briefing@nytimes.com.

P.S.

• We’re listening to “The Daily.” Today’s episode revisits a mother who asked her sons about their reactions to the accusations against Justice Brett Kavanaugh.

• Here’s today’s mini crossword puzzle, and a clue: Italian inventor of the battery ( 5 letters). You can find all our puzzles here.

• The Times has more than 200 journalists (including your Morning Briefing team) outside the U.S., in 31 bureaus.