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The fourth estate is essential in a democratic republic. The Founding Fathers knew it, journalism students are taught about it, and host and executive producer of Democracy Now! Amy Goodman lives it. While mainstream television corporations serve news dipped in chocolate and rolled in sprinkles (a.k.a. “Balloon Boy” coverage), Goodman and her fellow journalists actually report real news: CIA-sanctioned torture, digital censorship of American citizens by the government and continuing coverage about mercenary army Xe, formerly known as Blackwater. It’s not an easy job, and it’s not always a safe job. Even Goodman herself got into some sticky situations in East Timor in the ’90s—being beaten, banned and deported—but that didn’t stop her. Her new book, Breaking the Sound Barrier, is a collection of articles documenting ordinary citizens who also weren’t deterred from taking part to preserve the democracy.