Hogwarts: I'm Harry's older cousin

Chapter 283, Section 281: Using their own methods against them

As Barnabas Goughfe had hoped, Rita Skeeter did not return that day, so he promptly published the news article "Ministry of Magic, Violent Enforcement," and unsurprisingly, the Daily Prophet sold like hotcakes the next day, making a fortune.

It has to be said that the topic chosen by this editor-in-chief is really explosive, especially the direct and straightforward naming of the content, which makes people want to see what it is all about.

Isn't this the kind of article that ordinary wizards love to read?

They naturally disliked the Ministry of Magic, especially when faced with highly controversial terms like "violent law enforcement."

Public opinion was completely one-sided, and the letters of protest sent to the Ministry of Magic were almost enough to fill a room.

"You who captured my men will pay the price."

Barnabas Guffey said bitterly, as if he could already see the Ministry of Magic finally giving in and releasing Rita Skeeter, which would give the Daily Prophet another boost in reputation.

But his smile soon faded.

First, the editor-in-chief of The Daily Prophet, Xenophilius Lovegood, stepped forward and publicly questioned the veracity and validity of the Daily Prophet's content. He then launched a scathing critique of journalist Rita Skeeter. Actually, that's not so bad, since The Daily Prophet has always been known for its dissenting opinions.

Moreover, although their newspapers sold well and were bought by a large number of wizards, most wizards did not take the contents seriously. They only read them as novels to pass the time in their spare time, just for fun.

In terms of credibility, the Daily Prophet is stronger.

After all, the Contrarian once published an article claiming that Fudge had a secret army of fairies, and any wizard with a normal IQ would not believe that Fudge had such an ability.

There are many more articles like this.

Not to mention that adult wizards don't take the content of the quip seriously, even young wizards think that the content of the quip is extremely outrageous.

"Don't worry about it."

Barnabas Gough, the editor-in-chief, remained relatively calm. He considered it normal for the two newspapers to disagree, as their feud dates back over a century.

"Hmph, the Daily Prophet isn't some third-rate newspaper that no Tom, Dick, or Harry can afford. I can use the stuff from those lousy papers to fertilize my garden."

He was quite envious of the sales of the dissenting voices; it's said that today's sales are 130% of their Daily Prophet's.

However, this dissenting voice was just the beginning, the first shot fired against the Daily Prophet. Following this, Jerry, the author of Dragonlance Chronicles, publicly condemned the Daily Prophet and Rita Skeeter in his new book, saying that they spread false information and distorted the facts, causing him great distress. The news caused a huge reaction as soon as it was released.

Perhaps the credibility of those who sing dissent is not as high as that of the Daily Prophet, but the mysterious author Jerry, who has held the title of bestselling novelist for a long time, has considerable influence. As soon as he speaks, his fanatical fans start sending shouting letters to the Daily Prophet without thinking, giving them a taste of the treatment given by the Ministry of Magic.

"Mr. Barnabas, what should we do now?"

"Screaming letters are everywhere! Everywhere! They're about to explode!"

The staff at the Daily Prophet looked at the roaring letters that filled the entire office, swelling and threatening to explode at any moment, their faces filled with despair.

"We can't get out!"

The important thing is that the way out has been blocked. Who knows if people passing by will be affected by the roar of the explosion?

"What's the panic? It's just a mere howling letter, we've seen them before."

Barnabas Goughfe, the editor-in-chief, had a face so dark it could drip ink. When had the Daily Prophet ever received such treatment?

"I'll go find someone."

The Daily Prophet is a Ministry of Magic-approved newspaper, so naturally, the author knows people within the Ministry.

As for the Daily Prophet's criticism of Fudge and certain officials of the Ministry of Magic...

The Ministry of Magic doesn't have only one voice.

Unfortunately, before Barnabas Goughfe could even find someone to help him, the situation took another turn. The Witch & Poison Publishing House, which had been making waves recently, released a separate magical character card about Rita Skeeter before the release of the new generation of Wizarding Cards. The card's special ability was to spread false information and distort the facts. They also released a separate magical card about the Daily Prophet. This immediately raised the bar for ridicule and once again ignited public opinion.

At this point, the Ministry of Magic, which should have stepped in to stop the situation from escalating, remained strangely silent, as if completely unaware of the matter. Meanwhile, the readers of the Daily Prophet, who had blindly sided with the author, began to split. Many of them were both fans of Dragonlance Chronicles and readers of the Daily Prophet, but they all shared a common passion: Wizarding cards.

After this incident, public opinion in the wizarding world was no longer one-sided and began to waver. After all, the Daily Prophet is a century-old newspaper with a certain number of fans and its credibility is still intact.

The result was that the matter escalated, eventually attracting the attention of wizards across Europe, and more and more onlookers joined the discussion.

Everyone is curious about how this will end.

"I'm sorry, Mr. Barnabas, I really can't help you with this. Why don't you try your luck elsewhere?"

Barnabas Goughfe, the editor-in-chief, walked out of a house somewhat dejectedly. This was the seventh Ministry of Magic official he had interviewed, and he had been turned away several times in a row by the Ministry of Magic, with all the replies being identical, like a copy-paste.

When the Daily Prophet was at its peak, every official treated him with utmost respect; even Minister Fudge received them with courtesy.

A cold shoulder?

If you dare to ignore Barnabas Guffet today, he can make you lose your position tomorrow, and even force you to step down.

What exactly is going on now?

Barnabas Guffey, the editor-in-chief, didn't know what was going on, but the standardized answers from the Ministry of Magic officials made him feel like he was in the middle of a huge vortex.

However, given how things have developed, the Daily Prophet is now in a difficult position, with only two choices left: admit his mistake or fight to the bitter end.

Admitting to a mistake would mean that The Daily Prophet is wrong and has engaged in false propaganda. If this happens, the public will no longer believe the Daily Prophet's content, and not only will sales plummet, but support will also drop drastically.

For the sake of the Daily Prophet's future, admitting mistakes is absolutely out of the question. Not only can they not admit mistakes, they must also grit their teeth and win this war of public opinion.

The facts don't matter, nor does it matter which side is just; what matters is winning, for victory is justice.

But at this critical moment, the situation changed once again.

(End of this chapter)