"The official declined to comment on the record," according to the Journal story, which apparently means, "He wouldn't let us use his name," since his (or her) comment is indeed now on the record.

Internet news sites amped up the implications of the anonymous official's routine comments even more than the Journal.

"FCC takes stand on T-Mobile, AT&T merger," according to the . Yet the story's opening sentence is more modest: "The regulatory committee that needs to approve the merger between T-Mobile and AT&T may give the companies a hard time, due to potential antitrust concerns." The word "antitrust" was not used in the Wall Street Journal story.

The Inquirer, too, leads off its with a headline that clearly says the FCC has already made up its mind about the deal: "FCC official says 'no way' to AT&T's move to buy T-Mobile USA."

Nick Farrell, writing at Fudzilla, interprets the anonymous comments as one of the "signs that AT&T's buyout of T-Mobile will get a rough ride, if it even manages to get through." The headline: "."