Nikki Finke says “a very reliable source” has passed along word “that there appears to be a deal seemingly in place between both sides” of the writers strike. But don’t expect to hear about it anywhere but Deadline Hollywood Daily for awhile. Noting that she was “told not to expect an agreement this week,” Finke says no one else will be covering the story because “the negotiations starting today will have a news blackout.” Though she cautions that in Hollywood, “defeat is snatched from the jaws of victory nearly every time,” she seems pretty confident that she’s revealed a story that may not break elsewhere for weeks.

I’m sure Finke’s source is reliable, and I’m certainly not going to knock her strike reporting, which has been amazingly thorough, if not exactly impartial. But you have to admit, this is lovely timing for an exclusive–if this news hadn’t come out until next week, there may be room to doubt that the Speechless series of WGA propaganda videos (which Finke hosted on her site and which I wrote about in semi-depth here) played a significant part.