So here's the way the sausage gets made: When a player is good enough, all of the major outlets are going to try and secure the commitment announcement live. HQ does it. ESPN does it. We've done them at the Field of 68. There's a healthy level of competition there. HQ is not the only outlet that was chasing Castles.
In the days prior to those broadcasts, the player will do interviews with all of print/website outlets that cover recruiting (On3, ESPN, 247, Rivals, etc.), and there are agreements in place that the decision will not be leaked or the quotes/story made public until the official announcement is made. The reporters are within their right to publish those stories the second they get quotes on the record, but if you do that, you'll never get a player telling you anything ever again. Burning access isn't worth scooping one commitment that isn't a secret to anyone in the industry.
It's rare that there is ever a "surprise" on these selections. Zion was one. Jamal Murray was another. Beyond that, I can't really think of any off the top of my head where we didn't know before hand.