Many are reporting that the White House is leaking like crazy and making it very difficult for the POTUS to get anything done.
The leaks are always by unnamed sources, meaning that there is no way to confirm that there was a leaker or that the reported content was accurately represented. Quite simply, you are taking the word of a reporter, or editor or news organization. You actually do not know their internal policy on validating a reporter who reports a leak. Maybe one or more higher ups somehow check on the story, maybe not.
The whole leak story rests on one thing, the integrity of the press outlet. The press is so partisan now, I believe they would lie to forward their agenda. With reporting of White House leaks, if one report was a lie there is no way for it to be discovered. A White House official cannot refute it because the leaker’s identity is secret. Another reporter cannot investigate the story because the provider of the information is unknown. Insiders with knowledge that leaked reports are inaccurate cannot even confirm that because they would be leaking privileged information them selves.
So the sole foundation of a reported White House leak is trust in the media organization reporting it.