The prediction is that online “citizen journalists” will one day replace daily newspapers. There could be something to that if there were more free-range Internet scribes like JIM WALLS, the admitted “ink-stained wretch” behind Atlanta Unfiltered. Having overseen the AJC’s investigative reporting unit for 12 years until taking a buyout in 2008, Walls is the master of the public records search. Since launching his site in late March, he’s beaten his old employer on several news stories, including the messy firing of DeKalb Police Chief Terrell Bolton; an illegal attempt by the state Public Service Commission to switch chairmen; and a costly legal malpractice decision against a DeKalb state lawmaker. We’re not sure how Walls makes a living, but having a guy like him on the beat is a benefit to us all. www.atlantaunfiltered.com. less...