It's a quiet launch for ProPublica, the non-profit investigative journalism site (okay, it's a glorified blog) from former Wall Street Journal editor Paul Steiger, which hopes to identify abuses of power and corruption. Enjoy the "Scandal Watch" sidebar, where helpful arrows pointing up and down tell you which sensational story is in or out.

What do a pair of billionaire philanthropists do when they've got plenty of time and ambition on their hands? For Herb and Marion Sandler, the obvious answer is fund an investigative journalism outfit. They're sinking millions – which they've got from the sale of their enormous banking company Golden West, of which they pocketed $2.4 billion – into ProPublica, an enterprising project helmed by former Wall Street Journal managing editor Paul Steiger that will employ hard-nosed muckrakers who do all the legwork, then hand off their reports, gratis, to news organizations who want them. This will let the news gathering teams at NBC and CBS focus on more worthwhile projects, like reporting on Britney Spears' use of public toilets.