Andrew Gray wrote:
Of course, it is notable as "the HD DVD key", not as a string of hex digits - there is nothing *numerically* significant about it. We could quite legitimately (if somewhat clumsily) write about it and the giant kerfuffle without ever actually quoting the number, or indeed ever *needing* to. Consider the way newspapers cover high-profile defamation lawsuits without ever quoting the slander - the important story is that something was said and how it was reacted to, not the exact wording of what was actually said...
I don't necessarily disagree w.r.t. to the key, but many newspapers make a point of quoting relevant portions of the slander when discussing defamation lawsuits, so as to fully inform their readers. Some, like The Economist, even quote their own slander when retracting or apologizing for it, to be clear what they're retracting (e.g. "Last week we said that Tony Blair eats babies, when in fact it turns out he does not. We regret the error.")
-Mark