(2002-09-08) -- Journalism junkies are checking the record books after reading a recent story in The New York Times under the headline: U.S. Says Hussein Intensifies Quest for A-Bomb Parts.

"We think we may have several new world records in this one piece," said an unnamed spokesman for the Columbia Journalism Review (CJR). "We're all very excited. Journalism students will be studying and emulating this one for years to come."

The roughly 3,460-word story, filled with unattributed information allegedly emanating from the Bush administration, may have broken the record for mentions of "hard-liners" in a story not about the old Soviet Politburo. (There were six.) The piece, which appears under the dual byline of Michael R. Gordon and Judith Miller, also quotes only two people by name, and one of those is an admittedly made-up name.

Gordon and Miller would not comment about the story "on the record", but two unnamed sources who work for The New York Times as reporters said the story was a journalistic tour-de-force.

"We managed to crank out almost 3,500 words and the only guy we actually quote by name is an old Clinton administration NSC staffer no one's ever heard of," said the unidentified reporters. "We think this story demonstrates that reporters need not be hindered by the lack of credible sources."