The Wall Street Journal awhile back seemed to blame declining ratings for 24 on negative publicity surrounding creator Joel Surnow's outing as a conservative in a New Yorker hit piece last year. Leftie show-runner Howard Gordon was lionized and liberally quoted by the WSJ -- no comments by Joel Surnow, who shortly thereafter announced he was leaving 24 to 'pursue other projects'. Was Joel Surnow forced off the show he created?