But who had the news of Wallace's suicide first?

The AP, says Air America; searching Google News' archives, it would appear that the Los Angeles Times had it.

The news, in fact, first came from a book blogger, Edward Champion, who followed up on an anonymous tip. I make no grand statements about this detail---certainly nothing about how bloggers and Twitterers and such are going to somehow supplant journalism. True, I first saw the news on Champion's Twitter post, but I'm not hearing the replacing-journalism business until there's a competent Twitterer at every city hall meeting. Still, I will call it a proof of how good, genuine journalism can be done by individual practitioners who care about their chosen beats---regardless of whether you're attached to a media organization. And though outlets like the AP and LAT certainly have their own resources with which to find a story, let the record show that they didn't find this one first.