The Imp of the Perverse

Power Line: "I think that's right. Newspapers like the L.A. Times follow a perverse standard: they print stories simply because they shouldn't. As in this case, where they had an opportunity to invade Armstrong's privacy by disclosing documents that should have been kept confidential. And, in many other cases, where the fact that a story or a document is leaked--better yet, that the leak was illegal, and publication endangers national security--becomes a reason to publish. Exposing secrets, especially when there is a good reason not to, has become a perverse end in itself."