What's the point of this explanation? Fixing a national election by engaging in partisan plotting and coordinated reporting, attacks and denials is one thing, but I would NEVER violate the tax code!"

What was the reason this list was kept secret for so long and how does that fit in with journalistic ethics?

I seemed to remember something said by Evan Thomas of Newsweek and found a reference to it from 2008:

Evan Thomas said that the media were worth about 15 points for John Kerry in his race for president against George Bush. When later given a chance to walk back that comment” a comment which was truly embarrassing to the liberal media that tries to maintain deniability on that issue” Thomas said, okay, maybe just five points. He added, “absolutely,” when asked by Howard Kurtz if he believed that most reporters wanted John Kerry to win. The point was made, not that this hadn’t been known for decades. But what would Thomas say about this year? Between voter fraud efforts and the proclivities of the media, a 15-point advantage for Obama sounds like a reasonable estimate. That’s a lot for McCain to overcome.