Hi, felipedon,
19 was the last 12 letter answer I got. The inserted word is “handles”. The definition is “suppler of sensational info”, nothing to do with gossips or scandalmongers, but rather a hint at what passes on sensations to the brain. “South” is the standard abbreviation, “American agents “ gives CIA, “jerk” gives TIC, and the second word is a synonym for “courage”.