Not only that - they lose all control of the message of the story. In the days to come - Felt will be seen as a vengeful number 2 at the FBI who leaked classified documents because he was not elevated to take Hoover's place.
Had this not come out now - W&B would have positioned Felt as a man of conscience, a man who could not sit by while our government was on the verge of becoming a dictatorship. So - he did what he believed was right and helped expose one of the greatest threats to our way of life this country has ever seen.
Thier franchise would have remained intact and, W&B would have retained the tight control on the message for the remainder of their lives. Instead, they will spend the rest of their careers defending a snitch who made them very rich.