On September 30, Donald Trump tweeted in his inimitable style, “Anytime you see a story about me or my campaign saying ‘sources said,’ DO NOT believe it. There are no sources, they are just made up lies!”

More than a few reporters rolled their eyes. Trump himself loves citing anonymous sources when they suit his purposes. He spent years peddling wild rumors about President Obama being born in Kenya, and he’s hardly in a position to be giving a lecture on the ethics of accurately relaying information. But four weeks into his presidency, it’s becoming clear that perhaps the media need one. Their reliance on anonymous sources to report on Trump has become all-consuming.