Stain [H.S] - Major Editing

Chapter Eight

It was the first day of my second week in the Global Statesman, and I was really excited about writing my own editorial—the idea of having it published and read by thousands was blowing my mind.

I arrive at work by nine o’clock and I place my things on the desk. I ready my laptop and paperwork. While I was waiting for my laptop to boot, I look around and recognize the usual early birds; Fry, who was busy working with Vanessa, Dina, filing her nails, and Zayn and Ronaldo, who was having an animated chat by the coffee vending machine. Harry, who was usually the earliest one, wasn’t there yet.

“Unbelievable!” Liam roared. He was walking towards us, looking very scandalized, the morning paper scrunched in his hand.

“What’s wrong?” Dina said.

“Union Daily strikes again!” He bellowed, slamming the paper on my desk. “God, can’t we just sue those bastards?”

“What’d they do this time?” Fry said. A crowd of curious co-workers amass around my desk, and my claustrophobia starts to kick in. I get up, feeling nauseous, and stand beside Fry.

Liam slumped in his chair and rubbed his temples. “Turn to page six and see for yourself.”

Fry flipped the pages and stopped at the Business section. We all look at the bold heading, which read:

SHADY MEDIA AND TAX LOSS: Local Favorite Newspaper Company may be on the brink of insolvency

By Wayne Hartman

 

My heart sunk. “…on the brink of insolvency” Really?

“This is fubar.” Fry said, shaking his head in contempt. “Are they really that desperate?”

“This isn’t the first time those blockheads featured us in print.” Liam said.

“How did they even get the numbers?” I ask, and I felt everybody staring at me.

“Corporate media is an open field, Alice.” said Liam. “Everything travels in high speed velocity. They see a twinge in a perfect little establishment and—bam!—splashed on Featured News in the morning paper. Once they get you down in the low they’ll pick on you like vultures that pick on carcasses. Sounds unscrupulous but, hey, they’re part of the system. And that’s what people in the system do. They like control, control and power.”

“What’s going on?” I hear somebody say behind me and I turn around, only to find out that it was Harry.

“Oh, hey.” I said. “Have you read The Union Daily today?”

“No. I don’t read that mainstream rag. Why?”

“They—”

“PAYNE!” A voice boomed from the Chief’s office. The crowd dispersed immediately, though the scandalous news was still tickling their tongues.

Liam groaned and rubbed his temples. “Coming!”

“We should probably start working.” I say and Harry nods.

We walk to our desks and I grab the morning paper, reading the article as I take my seat. Looking at the disturbing caricature of Chief Morrison, who was portrayed as a swindler, I remembered the things that Zayn told me in the lunchroom last Tuesday.

Was this what he meant by “we’ve got a lot of squealers out there”? Moles hired by possible adversaries (The Union Daily would be one of them) to expose the Global Stateman’s wrongdoings? Were they really that desperate to bring the company down?

And, was Chief Morrison really a swindler?