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