They didn't stop them from publishing... But there are, can and should be repercussions for some things that one may publish.

If it's news, it will circulate the likes of twitter/facebook regardless and be picked up by others.. that's how news works. Someone will always be the first. All of that said, there's also a consideration to be held for ethics and responsible disclosure in journalism.

In this instance a legal case with merit was funded, I don't see a problem with that, necessarily.