That's kindof where I am... it was unethical, but I don't really know what is illegal about what they did. However, I want to believe the courts aren't the on

That's kindof where I am... it was unethical, but I don't really know what is illegal about what they did. However, I want to believe the courts aren't the only place where something like this gets sorted out. When someone does something unethical, there is usually some group that will hear about it. Academics are somewhat self-policing, and all sorts of ethical issues result in some form of justice being meted out. Journalists seem like they're in the same boat, but journalism isn't my domain of expertise...