I am openly asking you to consider the unique challenges reporters face from authoritarian states. Many newsrooms, across the industry from global, local to college level, have exampled best practices. I'm providing you with a few public cases: (3/N)

I understand that newsroom policy on anonymity is for building trust with your audience and providing accountability and transparency in your journalism practices. However, there are ways to achieve such goals w/o sacrificing the safety of journalists and their families (2/N)

As decision-makers in your newsroom, I encourage you to ask "why we had this policy in the first place" and "how can we achieve the same goal of this policy in practice" without blindly following policies that were set in a press freedom world w/o examination of privileges. (7/N)

I also want to encourage you to recognize that your Chinese journalists have provided great expertise in a Chinese social issue and have unique skills to connect with the Chinese community at Yale. Listen to their asks and respect their requests. (8/N)

1. The New York Times has granted anonymity to op-ed authors from Iran and El Salvador who fear retribution. poynter.org/ethics-trust/201… (4/N)

2. Washington Post removed bylines and datelines from certain stories to protect Moscow-based journalists. washingtonpost.com/media/202… (5/N)

1. Allow Chinese journalists to publish stories anonymously. You can explain to your readers why. Educate them about safety threats and retaliations Chinese journalists are facing, aboard and in their home country. It can be transparent & can build trust. (10/N)

3. In Hong Hong, where reporters may face jail time for publishing articles under the National Security Law, independent news outlets such as Hong Kong Free Press allow reporters to use an unnamed staff byline for “safety or security concerns.” hongkongfp.com/hkfp-code-eth… (6/N)

I want to provide you with solutions. I can also connect you with many experts in China reporting to discuss your policy. I encourage you to consider the following approaches, including the ones your Chinese reporters have proposed: (9/N)

2. Allow them to publish with a new bio page. I'm asking you to go one step further to protect their safety and leave a door for their future career in journalism -- no matter it will be in the press freedom world or in China. (11/N)