When is a leak not a leak?

There's a very interesting article on Slate.com about how the San Francisco Chronicle's interest in reporting the BALCO scandal actually led it to basically allow Troy Ellerman, recently outed at the individual who leaked the testimony reporters Mark Fainaru Wada and Lance Williams quoted in their news stories and later their book, to use them. Ellerman lied publicly that he was the leaker but he also filed a motion for his BALCO clients that the Chronicle reports had jeopardized their rights to a fair trial.
As Slate points out, the Chronicle stood idly by and watched Ellerman file his motion about the case and said nothing.
This is freedom of the press? It's certainly not a responsible press. And all the while, the Chronicle whined about its reporters' First Amendment rights being jeopardized.
We never really had much sympathy for the Chron reporters to begin with. Though quoting the secret grand jury testimony wasn't illegal, getting it was. It's not surprising that there was something shady behind it all.
It was really no surprise to anyone in the local press that the Chron didn't win a Pulitzer for the BALCO coverage based on stolen grand jury transcripts. Now that we see how sleazy they acted, it's all poetic justice.