Alphabet soup sometimes

I was reading an article in the Wall St Journal and was surprised that editors and journalists (more the editors) are not enforcing that abbreviated words or government department units should be fully identified upon first reference. Then after the first reference abbreviations are alright. I have seen this more and more lately in articles and stories in the media in general. While I understand printing/saying some names in full might take up valuable column inches in a printed newspaper but in electronic form that is not a problem. I think it is sloppy journalism at a time when we need better.