I want to address two separate issues.
First, there are very good reasons that responsible people are careful about how and when they share sensitive information. Any source — human or otherwise — can be compromised if the data they provide are shared thoughtlessly.
For example, if only three people have access to certain information, then a leak becomes fairly easy to trace. People can (and have) lost their jobs because other sites have shared information without considering the risks. Similarly, a little-known website ceases to be useful, if the park figures out someone has found it.
So, absolutely,
@Zachary ”withholds” information, if the source is nervous or if he determines that the risk to the source is too large. I would question the ethics of anyone who doesn’t handle leaks the same way. Forum members’ desires for updates or new project announcements do not outweigh the responsibility to protect sources and methods.
Second, I’m not sure what precipitated the criticisms of Forum moderation. No one is penalized for disagreeing with the Admins. There are posted rules designed to prevent aggression against other posters, but the intent is to maintain civil discourse not silence dissent. In fact, we have been criticized in the past for our free speech standards. Anyway, my point is that no one is getting “brownie points” for defending
@Zachary and none of the Admins care what anyone posts, as long as they follow our rules.
