The lack of Obliviators and the Press at GH was Godric's Hollow

[KathyK]

No: HPFGUIDX 149896

Snow wrote:

<snip> 
> If an article appeared in a muggle newspaper that had the secret (to 
> the Potter's whereabouts revealed), only persons who were reading it 
> would be aware(?) of the secret. How many wizards read muggle news 
> anyway except for Dumbledore?
 
> Just because the secret was exposed does not point a finger to who 
> exposed it. This would keep Sirius under suspicion and Peter not 
> really the person who exposed them. The secret keeper cannot really 
> be exposed when the secret is written. If Moody had not destroyed 
> the secret note to Harry from Dumbledore and if it had been 
> unintentionally given to the Daily Prophet, everyone would know the 
> secret to the Order's whereabouts.


KathyK:

I don't think this would be the case.  Yes, whoever got their hands on
that Secret at the Daily Prophet would know what it was.  Yes, whoever
they gave the written note to would know.  Stretching it to everyone
knowing because the newspaper printed the secret doesn't work, IMO. 
If they were to write an article on the whereabouts of the Order, or
about the Potter's location in GH, it would not work because the
writer is not the SK and therefore would not be able to reveal the
secret.  

Would simply reproducing the note with the Secret into the paper
divulge it to the masses?  I don't believe so.  JKR indicated in the
FAQ poll that the Potter's location was only known by "those whom
Wormtail had told directly."  Photocopying (or whatever its magical
equivalent might be) or putting the note in the paper is no longer a
Secret-Keeper telling anyone directly.  People reading newspapers are
reading copies, not the original material.  Would those in on the
secret even be able to attempt putting it into a paper?  


PJ wrote:

> When Dumbledore wrote the information on that piece of paper he 
> didn't "speak" the location so the secret wasn't broken, just 
> shared.  If PP TOLD (verbalized) the location of the Potters to 
> Voldemort then there would no longer be a secret to keep.  At least 
> that's how I understood JKR's answer on SK's.  Once spoken the 
> secret is no longer a secret.

KathyK:

Ooh, I didn't read JKR's answer that way at all...

I know that our only instance of seeing a secret protected by the
Fidelius charm passed along is that note to Harry in OoP, which can
make it tricky.  But I haven't read any evidence suggesting
verbalizing a Secret destroys the charm.  What JKR said again is that
the only people who knew the Potters location were those Wormtail
"told."  Something can be told verbally or in writing.  

KathyK, waving to Alla