Stringers #3 (Christmas Cover)
After barely escaping from Speziali unscathed (well, maybe some scathes) by tricking him into taking a blank tape, Nick and Paul drop off their actual footage at the news station with Michelle. During their late-night slurpee break, Paul breaks the news he's being holding onto: he's going to USC to get his degree and become a "legitimate journalist." Nick is less than pleased, but it turns out that Speziali had the worst night... those cops came back, and Nick was right: they were definitely crooked. They put Speziali in the hospital searching for the tape, and now Nick, Paul, and Michelle are in danger.