Presumably the idea is that the reporters can prepare a story on them that's live as soon as the numbers are out - kind of like early screenings of movies for r

Presumably the idea is that the reporters can prepare a story on them that's live as soon as the numbers are out - kind of like early screenings of movies for reviewers (who are also sometimes sworn to secrecy!) But seeing how much financial value the information has, maybe it isn't worth the risk.