News Blackout

Is anyone surprised that Matt Drudge reported the story of Prince Harry
serving in Afghanistan when so many other news outlets agreed not to?
From the Associated Press article:

The planned deployment had been disclosed to reporters, with no specific
date, and was not reported previously under a pool agreement between
the Ministry of Defense and all major news organizations operating in
Britain, including The Associated Press. The news blackout was intended to
reduce the risk to the prince and his regiment.

The news embargo was broken, however, after reports of the prince's
deployment were leaked by an Australian magazine and a German newspaper,
and then reported on a U.S. Web site, the Drudge Report.

Dannatt, the military commander, said he was "very disappointed" that the
story had leaked.

Here's a sentence from the Society of Professional Journalists "Code of Ethics" that
Drudge might want to read:

— Recognize that gathering and reporting information may cause harm or
discomfort. Pursuit of the news is not a license for arrogance.

Yes, we can debate whether Drudge is actually a "journalist." Anyone reporting and
disseminating news, whether they work for a traditional outlet or not, should be held
to the same ethical standards.