American Gossip King

Chapter 21 Hell is Heaven

The "city derby" is always the most intense.

As fellow Los Angeles newspapers, the Los Angeles Times launched a fierce attack on the Los Angeles Herald:

"Ian Carr is a clown who seeks to gain attention. At the riverside villa, he refused to help a dying gunshot wounded man, which directly led to the latter's death in the subsequent gunfight; he barged into a room with an unrelated girl, which was irresponsible towards the lives of others; he forcibly beat a suspect and used torture to conduct interviews, which violated the principles of journalistic conduct; he interviewed the victim's mother, completely disregarding her inner pain."

"Everything he did violated the integrity a journalist should have; it was immoral, unjust, and should be condemned."

Such comments quickly drew ridicule from the public:

"How dare the Los Angeles Times say such things? Uncovering other people's wounds is your specialty. What did you do in the Larimer case? An innocent girl died unexpectedly, and you went to interview her grandfather, asking him about his feelings regarding his granddaughter's death."

"And the Wheatstone shooting—it was your reporting that hindered the police's work, allowing that guy to escape."

"Jealousy! Utter jealousy!"

Even countries across the ocean in the East reported on the Charlie Mills and Blazer cases.

However, at that time, the "Zhiyin Reader Style" was very popular, and the "Reflective Stream" was prevalent.

And so it came about:

"A journalist and a film actor teamed up to save an innocent girl; their strong sense of social responsibility is something we should all learn from."

"In the United States, nothing is off-limits for reporting. Journalists there uphold the principles of truth above all else and freedom of the press. They dare to expose their own mistakes and let the world see them."

"They can conduct interviews under gunfire, and they can interview criminals while rescuing innocent girls. They have perfectly integrated their professional ethics with their social responsibility."

"These are the journalists of the free country, the true uncrowned kings."

"When will we be able to get to that point?"

"Put the press first, freedom first, democracy first!"

………………

In the Los Angeles Herald's office, Ian looked at these bullshit comments and sneered disdainfully.

People always only see what they want to see.

If you like America, then it's about "despite the chaos of the world, we dare to confront our traumas."

If you don't like America, it's "a chaotic world, shameless journalists, and the ever-present dark side."

As for Ian, he was quite the opposite.

He likes America, but the reason he likes America is the same reason others hate America—a timeless truth in the media: negative reporting always attracts more attention than positive reporting!

A life of debauchery, chaotic organizations, sordid political deals, bloody gun violence, ubiquitous robbery and killing, and a dark terror that breeds everywhere... not to mention the speechless political correctness of LGBT and zero-dollar shopping in the future.

For a journalist, this hellish world is paradise!

Ignoring the Los Angeles Times' commentary, Ian continued reading online comments.

Compared to the discussions among peers, the comments from netizens are much more interesting.

"Fuck! I knew Hollywood producers were no good; all they like are men, women, and kids!"

"Damn it, why censor it?"

"Shut up, are you a pervert too?"

"Of course, that's me! Come and get me if you dare!"

"Ian Carl? Who is this guy? How did he manage to subdue that bastard while holding his head down for an interview?"

"I like this kid; his interviewing style is unique. It's a pity his interview with that scumbag was a bit too short."

"Holding the other person's head and punching them repeatedly while conducting the interview... Ian Carr invented a completely new form of interviewing: torture-style interviewing!"

"He's just a attention-seeker."

"Jealousy! Utter jealousy."

"So Kate Beckinsale and Ian finally got together? She just escaped being a hostage, and now she's Ian Carl's photographer?"

"Fuck! Kate, you can't do this!"

"Good job, Kate! You saved that girl!"

"She didn't make a move."

"But she was involved, and that saved her."

"I heard the police department is going to award Ian Carr a Medal of Honor for bravery because he saved a poor girl. Not long ago, he was a murderer."

"I heard he's going to court."

"No, it's canceled. They believe Ian Carl is a hero, and there's no need to go to court anymore."

………………

"Fuck!"

"Oh yeah!"

At the Los Angeles Herald newspaper office, cheers of celebration from the editors mingled with Ian's angry rants in the lobby.

The series of major reports boosted the sales of the newspaper, finally escaping their embarrassing financial predicament. Everyone was excited, and then Ian's roar could be heard in the office.

What made the boss so angry?

Everyone stared in astonishment at the office, where Ian pushed open the door and strode out: "Who told them to drop the charges? Has America sunk so low that murderers can be acquitted without even a trial?"

Although Ian's reasons for killing Charlie Mills were justified and the evidence was conclusive, the matter still needs to go through legal proceedings to confirm that Ian was in a necessary situation and had to act in this way.

The latest novel is first published here!

This is good news for Ian: he can now have a seventh hot topic in the Charlie Mills case.

In order to create a sensation, Ian specifically hired a lawyer to point out that there were many unreasonable aspects to Ian's actions and that there was suspicion of premeditated murder—for example, was it necessary for Ian to shoot Charlie Mills? After all, Charlie Mills had already lost most of his mobility at that time.

Controversy is what makes a story!

Marx said it well: A greedy capitalist can sell the noose that strangles him for three times the profit.

The Pioneer is too small. In order to develop it as quickly as possible, Ian is willing to risk everything, even his own life.

Unexpectedly, the police dropped the charges and directly declared him innocent.

Everyone was dumbfounded.

Are you angry about this?

Editor-in-Chief Lloyd said tremblingly, "Isn't this a good thing?"

"Bullshit!" Ian yelled, waving his fist. "This should have been great news! An exclusive interview that only our people could do, where I could stand on the prosecutor's neck and tell them how righteous I am. But now, I've lost that opportunity. A high-profile courtroom debate, what great news! Why isn't the police charging me?"

One editor said helplessly, "Because they just awarded you the Medal of Honor for Bravery."

Ian slapped his forehead in exasperation: "I shouldn't have accepted this."

Lloyd said, "It's an honor, Ian."

Ian shook his head dismissively: "A worthless honor, utterly worthless!"

He then returned to his office and slammed the door shut.

Everyone looked at each other, speechless.

Lloyd continued, "I think you all understand... Our boss has matured, and he has high expectations for his work, so you'd better not let him down."

Everyone's expression changed simultaneously.

The boss has matured, which is a good thing; everyone has finally escaped the unemployment crisis.

However, the growth was too rapid, and everyone struggled to keep up, which meant endless pressure going forward.

So, would you rather have a useless boss or a great boss?

The group of editors looked at each other, then simultaneously picked up the phone and shouted:

"Jer, tell me if you have any good leads?"

"I need to know what's going on on Luhr Street tonight."

"For God's sake, Lark, give me some inside information!"

(End of this chapter)