This is indeed a time for journalists in all media - including the digital space - to interrogate more carefully than ever the motivation behind the leaks that drive the news agenda. The three-sources rule that most major media and wire services claim to apply remains the gold standard, but is often broken.
That said, however, as much as this political season will deliver many baseless political smears, it also will see the political cover lifted that has protected many scoundrels from exposure. Some of the leaks, though clearly malicious, will be true and, as Prof Anton Harber says, their publication may be in the public interest.