Jason Lee threatened a national publication that planned to publish a profile of him that included his involvement in Scientology, even though the profile was highly complimentary, the bits about Scientology didn’t make him look bad, and he cooperated in the whole interview process, including talking at some length about Scientology.

The national publication spiked the article, which now appears on Defector.com: A Complimentary Profile Of Jason Lee That Was Surprisingly Difficult To Publish

But why does writer Nate Rogers suppress the names of the national publication and the editor who spiked the story? That seems tribal — journalists protecting each other — and maybe like Rogers doesn’t want to threaten future paychecks.

Also, it’s tempting to think what Lee did is an example of the Streisand effect, but it could work to Lee’s benefit by intimidating future publications from bringing up his Scientology connections. And also intimidate publications from bringing up Scientology in profiles of other celebrities linked with the church. So a win for Lee and for Scientology.