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Since the Skripals were poisoned a year ago, it has been boom time in the media for the ever-present \u2018anonymous intelligence sources\u2019 and their offerings of juicy, unverifiable tidbits.<\/p>\n
This shadowy character has found willing journalists happy to feed on uncheckable information which can be attributed to something as nebulous and authoritative-sounding as an \u201cintelligence source<\/em>.\u201d It\u2019s an extremely convenient \u2018I\u2019ll scratch your back, you scratch mine\u2019 relationship.<\/p>\n Every Skripal-linked allegation about poisoned steering wheels, doorknobs and gifts sent from home started life as a tempting nugget from a spy with no name.<\/p>\n The anniversary of events in Salisbury is clearly a useful landmark for leaky intel operatives wanting to keep the pressure up, and they\u2019ve been out in force.<\/p>\n The Press Association (PA) has been quoting an anonymous \u201csource<\/em>\u201d as saying: \u201cThe intelligence agencies have been investigating unusual and increased activity at the Russian Embassy in Kensington in the days leading up to and after the attack on the Skripals<\/em>.\u201d<\/p>\n Leaking information to a news agency is particularly potent because it is repeated far more widely. The Guardian<\/a> is one outlet to hang its hat on PA\u2019s Skripal story, but it has also been the target of ridicule after using anonymous sources in November to claim that \u201cDonald Trump\u2019s former campaign manager Paul Manafort held secret talks with Julian Assange inside the Ecuadorian Embassy in London<\/em>.\u201d To this day no one, including the Guardian, has been able to verify that.<\/p>\n Meanwhile, over in Britain\u2019s Mail on Sunday, another anonymous intelligence source was accusing Russia\u2019s ambassador to London of being a former KGB spy.<\/p>\n And in the Sunday Mirror, \u201csources<\/em>\u201d were telling the paper that the hunt is on for \u201cfive more suspects<\/em>\u201d linked to the Skripal poisonings.<\/p>\n It\u2019s all completely unverifiable, as is so much of the claim and counterclaim over what happened in Salisbury. The full truth may never be discovered if the intelligence services don\u2019t spend less time leaking and more time investigating.<\/p>\n
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