Accepted Figures

In researching the tragic death in Iraq of Marla Ruzicka, I found this "Los Angeles Times" article. Deep down in it came this passage:

A few days after Baghdad fell in April 2003, Ruzicka showed up in Iraq. She began building a volunteer network to document civilian casualties.

The records they compiled on more than 2,000 dead provided an early accounting of the war's toll. Although the currently accepted figure, based largely on news accounts, is between 17,000 and 20,000, Ruzicka's stands out because of the detail it contains, said Newsweek reporter Owen Matthews, a friend of Ruzicka.

Emphasis added. "Currently accepted" but not at my newspaper, where the Lancet's 100,000 "dartboard" number has become the standard.