That's an unfair characterization of NYTimes behavior. They sit on stories when the editors agree that releasing the information would do more harm than good.

For example in the Levinson case, NYTimes withheld information for 6 years: http://www.nytimes.com/2013/12/14/world/middleeast/a-disappe...

> The New York Times has known about the former agent’s C.I.A. ties since late 2007, when a lawyer for the family gave a reporter access to Mr. Levinson’s files and emails. The Times withheld that information to avoid jeopardizing his safety or the efforts to free him. On Thursday, The Associated Press disclosed Mr. Levinson’s role with the intelligence agency. In a statement, the White House said it had urged the wire service not to publish its article “out of concern for Mr. Levinson’s life.” After Thursday’s disclosure, the Levinson family said it had no objection to The Times’s publishing this article.