"There have been tensions in the southern province of Sweida, residents say". Explain this one to me, Ms. Barnard? When you report about a country (from another country, mind you) and you write that "residents [in that country] say", what do you mean and how do you substantiate that? How many of the residents have to share a view with you to qualify as "residents say"? How many residents told you that? One or 20 or a 1000 or 10000? And does the foreign editor of the Times require any documentations for such generalizations about a whole resident population? How would you, those of you who are professors, respond to a student who employed this phrase in a research paper?