Anonymity is one of the true glories of a free press.

Without it we would have few, if any, whistle blowers or any of the other "informed" sources which all too often lie at the very heart of what a free press is designed to do: be the voice of the voiceless, the eyes and ears of those who seek the truth; and to paraphrase Ben Bradlee, the first rough draft of history.

Unfortunately anonymity, like the press itself, can also be misused.

Over the past weeks we have seen all too many examples: racists posting on the Loudoun Times web site; unsubstantiated rumor and innuendo posted under the guise of political "analysis" and "insight."

As is the case for any reputable newspaper, the Eccentric's reporters have obligations to their sources.

In some cases that means an ethical obligation to go to jail rather than betray their anonymity.

In such cases, happily rare, we choose to put ourselves at risk, for the sake of a larger principle.

Our names, however, always appear on what we print.

We do our best to tell the truth and to do no gratuitous harm.

But when we fail, and no doubt there are time when we do, our readers know who we are, where to find us, and that we are committed to not only to telling the truth as best we can, but to correcting error if and whenever we fail to live up to our own standards.

We put our names on our work.

That we can do so is one of the glories of living in this country and under the protection of the First Amendment.