Keeping secrets
Hats off to Nick Ciarelli of ThinkSecret for choosing to go out of business, rather than reveal his sources to Apple. While a better outcome clearly would have been for Nick to continue publishing and keep his sources confidential, his settlement with Apple shows that there are at least some citizen journalists out there willing to play with the big boys. Of course, Ciarelli’s willingness to settle and shut down could make other bloggers and gossip sites think twice before taking on big companies like Apple. As Fake Steve comments, in response to a post by Matthew Ingram, “We did not shut down Think Secret. That did not happen. Okay? That’s not reality. Reality is, Think Secret shut down on its own. Which come to think of it might be a good idea for you, Matthew Ingram. Otherwise we may have to come over there and not shut you down, too.” FSJ’s real-life counterpart may not put it so bluntly, but the effect could well be the same.
