 It was wildly unethical, in breach of anything that was remotely considered journalistic ethics at the time and best practices. But it didn't matter. Ezra Klein, who now has been rewarded by getting a bunch of money from the New York Times, organized it, and they shamelessly used it. Then it got exposed. The Daily Caller got their hands on all of these emails. It was never meant for the prying eyes of conservatives. It had to be a part of the Borg.