Why do literary journalists avoid using composite characters?

Literary journalists avoid using composite characters because factual verifiability is a defining characteristic of their work. Unlike writers of fiction, literary journalists view themselves as recorders of reality rather than its inventors.1

Because literary journalism is a form of nonfiction that relies on rigorous, immersion-based research, maintaining the integrity of the facts is considered mandatory. By eschewing composite characters and ensuring that dialogue is only presented if it was actually uttered by their sources, these journalists uphold the ethical standard that the "literature of fact" must remain grounded in the truth of the human experience they are documenting.1