Words Have Meaning
Journalists have a code of ethics, and we hope they follow it. If you keep the name of a local out of it, you might be able to persuade them to express an opinion on a story. That appears to be a fair trade for a good scoop.
Here’s an example. Some construction news has prompted Tom McEldroon to request that his identity be kept secret. We completely understand why you’d want to conceal your name. The thing is, though, that they wrote this phrase literally instead of figuratively. Paper people: How could you miss the point like that?