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https://thenewsmanual.net/Manuals Volume 3/bonus_fake-news_and_trust_chains.html

If you know the source of an important item of questionable or contested information – not simply who has repeated or retweeted it – ask yourself:

What have they got to gain by saying it?
What have they got to lose?
Generally speaking, if someone has a lot to gain personally and little to lose from their statement, they should be examined more critically than someone who has a lot to lose and little to gain by stating something as fact.


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https://thenewsmanual.net/Manuals Volume 3/volume3_59.htm

There are also legal dangers to consider when using leaked documents. They might, for instance, have been stolen. It is usually an offence to receive stolen property if you think it could have been stolen, even if it is only a few sheets of paper. As we explain in the chapters on investigative reporting, photocopying the document then returning it is often a way to overcome this problem.

Leaked documents could also be covered by copyright, so you could be breaking the law by quoting directly from them. You are on safer ground in reporting the substance of what was said, in your own words. (For more details on copyright, see Chapter 63: Introduction to the law.)


for context, see this previous entry.