The Frederick News-Post doesn't get a ton of national scoops, so forgive us if we bask a little in the glow of Marge Neal's stories about the June 22 Metro train crash.

"Break the kind of news others will follow." That's the mantra of our city editor, Rob Walters. And in this case, we have been doing just that.

We obtained records from an internal Metro computer system showing that a crucial circuit was malfunctioning five days before the crash. We reported that information June 26. National papers and TV stations picked it up a few days later, and the revelation apparently shook Metro so hard that the internal computer system was locked down the next day. We reported that lockdown this week.

We obtained a copy of a work order showing the faulty circuit at the crash site was reported five days before the crash. We published that story Friday.

Marge is a terrific reporter, but she doesn't get all the credit. We owe these stories to an anonymous source.

It is not the policy of the News-Post to use anonymous sources. Unlike our big-city brethren with their endless citing of "sources inside the White House" and "Pentagon officials," we require the people we quote to give us their names (and usually their age, profession and where they live). We print those names. Names give credibility to a story, and credibility is our Holy Grail.

Here is our policy, as articulated in The Frederick News-Post Stylebook:

"The News-Post does not publish stories using unnamed sources without the prior approval of the managing editor. Reporters should understand that granting anonymity, in almost every case, will mean that the information will not be used."

In the case of the Metro story, that "almost" got a workout. A meeting was held before a single word was written. Managing editor Terry Headlee, Rob, Marge and I gathered in Terry's office. Many questions were asked before we decided we could publish this story using an anonymous source.

So why did we go ahead with it?

The most compelling reason:

¥ This is a public safety issue. Nine people died in that crash, and we want to see Metro fix its problems.

Additionally:

¥ The crash was by far the worst in Metro's history. Seldom do commuter rail crashes have such devastating consequences. This was very big news.

¥ Although Metro does not run in Frederick County, many of our readers ride its trains in their commutes to the Washington metro area. So this is very much a local story.

¥ We had information no one else had.

¥ The source's credentials were impeccable.

¥ The source had no ax to grind, and had nothing to gain personally by sharing this information.

¥ The source provided documentation to back up his/her statements.

¥ The source's job would be in jeopardy if his/her name was published.

¥ Identified sources corroborated all elements of the story.

Our source showed guts by bringing the information to light. Granting him/her anonymity was the only way we could get the information out there. And this was a story that needed to be told. Metro officials were being less than candid. It's not much of a stretch to say this was a question of life and death.

A couple of times a month, I get a call from someone who wants us to write a story about an issue or injustice. It is crucial that the facts be brought to light and the public be made aware, the caller will say, "but you can't use my name."

Have you ever thought about making such a call? Ever yearned to be the Deep Throat of Frederick County?

If so, please ask yourself: Is this story a match for the ones we published June 26 and Friday? Are the stakes as high? The issues as important? The disclosure as risky?

If the answer to any of these questions is no, then it's not going to happen. You'll have to put your name behind your words.