While most readers probably won't check further, if they print "mr y from village x said this" there's more chance that either mr y can come forward & say "no I

While most readers probably won't check further, if they print "mr y from village x said this" there's more chance that either mr y can come forward & say "no I didn't" or other villagers can say "I live in village x and I don't know any mr y" or another journalist can say "I checked the records of village x and there's no mr y listed". Unnamed sources are a great delight of tabloid writers and while not proof of lying, they make a story less credible. This is why credible news programmes/newspapers have things like requiring at least 2 sources for any claim. Journalistic standards are a thing.