Ancient recipients of instant news probably couldnt do very much about it, for instance. Xerxes would still need three months to get his army together, and he might not get home for years. – Peter Singer
You might hold an ethical position that its wrong to lie, but if you have plans for a war in Iraq, and you want to keep them secret for practical reasons – to reduce casualties, perhaps – and someone asks you about those plans, you may need to lie for a good outcome. – Peter Singer