Need to distinguish between anonymity and pseudonymity. Anonymous publication stands or falls by itself (and usually falls). If I post under a pseudonym, then the credibility of what I write will be largely determined the credibillity (or lack of credibillity) of what I've written previously. That's been true since the days of the Federalist Papers and probably earlier

In the current circumstances of the Internet, that will typically matter more than whatever credibility I might gain or lose from my job title, public achievements etc. It's true that whether or not you are using a pseudonym you should be honest about conflicts of interest.

As regards privacy, the same argument as yours was made in relation to the secret ballot (an Australian innovation) and rejected. There are times when it is appropriate to show your face, and that's the case for some in the US, but