Report: Jobs had liver transplant

Last night, The Wall Street Journal reported that Steve Jobs had a liver transplant two months ago in Tennessee. What’s interesting in this report, beyond the obvious new information, is what’s not  there. As in sourcing. There is none. (Here’s a version of the story that requires no WSJ log-on.)

No doubt that the transplant happened, but it’s intriguing that there’s no source attribution at all. No “people close to the company” or “a source with knowledge of the situation.” Or a “friend of Steve.” The WSJ reporters apparently were handed this scoop by….well… by no one.  The ubiquitous Katie Cotton is heard from, barely:

“Steve continues to look forward to returning at the end of June, and there’s nothing further to say,” the Apple spokeswoman said.

A conspiracy theorist might say an Apple protege, worried about continued shareholder angst over Apple’s refusal to disclose more on the health status of its fearless leader, dropped a dime, with the condition that no one, NO ONE, be fingered as a source.