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After all the ruckus -- the false allegations, the apologies, the hemming and hawing, and finally the retraction -- Pulitzer Prize-winning Los Angeles Times journalist Chuck Philips will be keeping his job. Hmm.

So after a story accuses Diddy and Biggie of abetting Tupac's murder -- basically hanging one of hip-hop's most infamous slayings on two of its biggest stars -- the journalist responsible is still in business. Never mind that he took his cues from known forger James Sabatino, who's currently in prison.

Then again, these old-school publications are known for firing people the old-fashioned way: moving you to the grandpa beat. Like when they gave McNulty boat duty on “The Wire.” Maybe Phillips is headed for the water?

Actually, speaking of “The Wire,” doesn't this remind you a bit of the final season -- that kid at The Baltimore Sun...?

While Philips defended his methods to MTV News, it seems as if further investigation is called for. After all, as Smoking Gun editor William Bastone pointed out, “In the recent history of journalism, when stories go really bad, the publication often does an explanation of how it happened…I’d like to know: How did [Sabatino] pull this off from behind bars?”

Tags biggie smalls, chuck-phillips, Diddy, Notorious-BIG, The Wire, Tupac Shakur