To all of our readers, this is a story worth following.

The AP (2/24) reports, “The Justice Department disclosed Wednesday it wants to require the tobacco industry to admit publicly that smoking causes a multitude of medical problems, killing 1,200 Americans every day.” The department has “proposed that a federal judge order the companies to say in advertisements that they lied to the public about the safety and dangers of smoking.” Industry heavyweight Altria Group and its Philip Morris subsidiary “said the proposed statements go beyond factual and scientific information and that the Justice Department would compel the tobacco companies to admit wrongdoing under threat of contempt of court.” Specifically, Phillip Morris “said the Justice Department proposal would violate a court of appeals decision which held that any corrective statements must be purely factual and uncontroversial.”