[jimboster]

But would any reporter worth his salt actually name his source in the notes? Doesn't the reporter's promise of confidentiality prevent him from revealing the source's identity to anyone- including the editors or publishers of the medium that published it?

[advance_copy]

But would any reporter worth his salt actually name his source in the notes?

He wouldn't if his editors required him to provide notes identifying the source, which they could do because that goes a long way in court if they got sued by someone over something where a plaintiff asserts that the source is a fake.

Doesn't the reporter's promise of confidentiality prevent him from revealing the source's identity to anyone- including the editors or publishers of the medium that published it?

Yes, but it is easy enough to lie about that. So long as the publisher doesn't ever release the notes or publicly identify them, the source would never know about that -- something for people to think about if they are talking to the press on background.