If this article really demonstrates anything, it's the need for an independent press.

If you're dependent on the entities you are reporting on to get your news about those entities, you not independent. Levels of independence vary along a continuum, but most organizations are deep in "dependent" territory.

Commercial journalism has made its peace with this, because they get eyeballs whether they spend the money to pound the pavement, or just re-run press releases and report on what everybody else reports on. I see no way to fix this.