I asked you to write a light novel, but you wrote about living?

Yu Wen originally had no intention of accepting an interview.

It wasn't until Chang Liren told him that several media outlets had begun bypassing him and contacting the editors and ordinary staff of the West Coast division of Weiguang.

Some questioned whether the release time of "Running for Governor" was designed by the platform, while others tried to confirm whether there was any collaboration between Microlight and Elias Reed's campaign team.

Some media outlets have even cited so-called "insiders" in their reports.

After reading those paragraphs, Yu Wen finally selected a cross-regional public news channel from the list sent by Carter.

Rather than letting others make arbitrary statements in his name, it's better for him to clarify things himself.

When the appointed time arrived, an encrypted communication request appeared above the desk.

Yu Wen confirmed the connection.

The light in the study dimmed.

The surrounding walls receded rapidly under the cover of countless light particles, and the place where the bookshelves were originally placed became a simple gray background.

A moment later, a woman in her thirties appeared opposite him.

Her name is Zhou Hailan, and she is a senior reporter for a cross-regional public news channel.

At this moment, she herself was still sitting in the studio thousands of kilometers away, but her image, captured in real time, was projected onto Yu Wen in proportion.

Both terminals simultaneously illuminate the record indicator.

Zhou Hailan looked down and checked the interview outline again.

"Mr. Yu, thank you for accepting the interview."

Is this your first formal response to the public media since the publication of "To Live"?

"It should be."

"Why this time?"

"Because someone has already started answering for me."

Zhou Hailan paused briefly, then nodded.

"Then let's get straight to the point."

Zhou Hailan asked:

"Running for Governor has already had a significant impact on the gubernatorial election in Redwood State. Did you anticipate this situation before publishing the novel?"

"no."

Did you know that a gubernatorial election was taking place in Redwood State at the time?

"have no idea."

Zhou Hailan was slightly taken aback.

"Completely unaware?"

"I had never even heard of those three candidates before the article was published."

Yu Wen said:

"I only found out that the novel had influenced the Redwood state election after the West Coast division forwarded the information to me."

"So the publication date of this work has absolutely nothing to do with the Redwood state election?"

"no."

"But its appearance was just too coincidental."

"That only proves that people are still doing the things described in the novel today."

Zhou Hailan looked at him.

"Reed's approval rating is rising rapidly, while the other two candidates are being questioned because of the content of the novel. Some people believe that you have actually interfered in this election."

What's your opinion?

"I don't know Redwood State, nor do I know those three candidates."

"I have no idea who told the truth or who hid anything."

Yu Wen paused for a moment.

"In fact, the vast majority of people on the internet don't know either."

"We did not attend their internal meetings, we did not meet those witnesses, and we did not personally verify those materials."

"What everyone hears is basically what others have relayed to us."

"When one media outlet cites a so-called insider, other accounts then cite that same media outlet. By the time the content reaches the general public, it has already undergone countless selections and processing."

Zhou Hailan asked:

"So, by publishing your 'Running for Governor' campaign, are you trying to remind voters in Redwood State?"

"no."

Yu Wen said:

"I wrote this in the hope that people on the internet will have a better ability to distinguish right from wrong when they see something."

"Don't jump to conclusions about something you don't understand based on a number, an accusation, or a period of silence."

"More importantly, what you see is not the whole story."

"Some people decide what to report, some decide what to delete, some choose which sentence to put in the headline, and the recommendation system then presents the content that is most likely to attract your attention."

"So often, what you see is only the part that others have chosen and want you to see."

"It may not be entirely fake."

But that doesn't mean it's the whole truth.

Zhou Hailan was silent for a moment, then asked:

"But most of the accounts you just described have legitimate media certifications, and some of them are even professional journalists."

Having certification does not equate to doing journalism.

Yu Wen said:

"A real journalist will verify the information, distinguish between facts and speculation, and take responsibility for the content they publish."

I wasn't talking about them.

Zhou Hailan did not overlook this distinction.

"But the average reader may not be able to tell the difference."

"When you publicly criticize these accounts, the entire news industry may ultimately be questioned."

Yu Wen looked at her and continued:

"If someone is selling counterfeit medicine while displaying a doctor's sign, does pointing out that they are selling counterfeit medicine mean attacking all doctors?"

"Of course not."

"The same goes for reporters."

Zhou Hailan paused for a few seconds.

"So in your opinion, those who first determine the conclusion, then find the materials, and finally hand them over to the model to generate reports in batches cannot be called journalists at all?"

"cannot."

"So what do you think they are?"

Yu Wen did not answer immediately.

He's seen enough filth online lately.

First, his competitors hid behind the scenes and incited online trolls to link the girl's death with his new book, forcing him to prove his innocence for something that never happened.

Later, when "Running for Governor" was published, he hadn't even figured out where Redwood State was. A novel written more than two hundred years ago was accused of interfering in the election and manipulating public opinion.

Now, some people are deleting the background information, piecing together materials, and using media certification to write their speculations as conclusions, all in an effort to grab more traffic from this controversy.

It seems that as long as something is given a news cover, even the most disgusting thing can be given a respectable name.

Yu Wen originally didn't want to swear during the interview.

But thinking about this, the anger that had been building up inside me for so long finally surfaced.

Content producers?

Traffic account?

Media outlets that violated regulations?

You're too kind.

These people clearly know what they threw into the model and what they ended up spitting out.

Yu Wen raised his eyes.

"A rumor-monger who feeds poop to models."

Zhou Hailan was visibly taken aback.

"Isn't this term too vulgar?"

"What they did wasn't exactly respectable either."

Zhou Hailan looked at him for a few seconds, then didn't press him further.

She glanced down at the interview outline, then closed the page.

"Okay, Mr. Yu, thank you for accepting our interview today."

Thank you for answering these questions.

Yu Wen nodded slightly.

You're too kind.

This concludes the interview.

The record indicators on both terminals were simultaneously turned off.

As Zhou Hailan's holographic image faded, the gray interview background covering the study also disintegrated.

The manuscripts on the bookshelves, walls, and table reappeared before Yu Wen's eyes.

He closed the communication page and brought the document of "We Three" back to the front of him.

As agreed, the cross-regional public news channel will release the full interview the following day.

That evening, the channel released a two-minute preview.

Less than half an hour after the trailer was released, the last seven seconds of it were captured separately.

In the video, Zhou Hailan's questions, the differences that Yu Wen had emphasized several times before, and "those who determine the conclusion first and then look for materials" all disappeared.

Only Yu Wen's final, clear answer remained:

"A rumor-monger who feeds poop to models."

Above the video, a newly added title stands out prominently.

[Yu Huashi on contemporary journalists: Rumor-mongering dogs feeding excrement to AI models.]