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Originally Posted at Philadelphia Daily News'

Two amazing women, Barbara Laker and Wendy Ruderman, just won the Pulitzer for their work for the Daily News- and for our city. They investigated narcotics cops who lied about evidence. Their series, "Tainted Justice," bubbles like the best potboiler - until you remember that real people were brought down by this corrupt team of police.

In the recent edition of The Nation, communications scholar Robert McChesney and journalist John Nichols discuss the future of journalism and call for government intervention to save the vital but dying craft of journalism. In the essay the authors revisit the age old argument that the press is the essential "4th estate" or 4th branch of government, acting as community watchdog for political and corporate entities.