Robert Fisk of the Independent (UK) gives excellent reasons why newspapers like the LA Times and services like AP should be renamed “U.S. Officials Say” when it comes to war reporting:

Here are the sources — on pages 1 and 10 for the yarn spun by reporters Josh Meyer and Mark Mazzetti: “U.S. officials said,” “said one U.S. Justice Department counter-terrorism official,” “Officials … said,” “those officials said,” “the officials confirmed,” “American officials complained,” “the U.S. officials stressed,” “U.S. authorities believe,” “said one senior U.S. intelligence official,” “U.S. officials said,” “Jordanian officials … said” — here, at least is some light relief — “several U.S. officials said,” “the U.S. officials said,” “American officials said,” “officials say,” “say U.S. officials,” “U.S. officials said,” “one U.S. counter-terrorism official said.”

Lots more good points in the piece; it’s a must-read if you want to get your outrage on.