Seems the rightist – aka the OP – didn’t get the meaning of Woodward’s words. He said this.
“It’s very important who it is. It’s very important whether this is somebody who witnessed and participated,” Woodward said. "I would say 'Okay, name me who was there.
The NYT knows the person. What Woodward is saying is that the public needs to know the name. Sorry, but he’s wrong. They don’t. Hey Bob, did the public need to know Deep Throat’s identity? You didn’t think they did. You don’t need to know the op-ed writer’s identity. Same situation as Deep Throat.
And it’s not stunning unless you don’t know how journalism works.