A Made-up story
By: Hayes Keith Davis
Hayes was born in Akron, Ohio. His family retired to Alamogordo, NM when he was 15. He previously studied film at the no longer existent “The College of Santa Fe”. His novel “Madness”, a misunderstood thriller, is still unpublished. He graduated from NMSU-A with an associate degree. Now a Junior going on a Senior, he is a CMI Digital Filmmaking Major with dreams of graduating in one year.
Douglas Rogers, tabloid reporter, is in his cubicle at the office where he works, the tabloid newspaper called “The Daily Press”. He is reading The New York Times, an article about this year’s Pulitzer Prize winners in investigative reporting. He is looking down at the paper through his reading glasses. When the elevator bell dings, he looks over his glasses at the elevator. Taking the glasses off his face and letting a lanyard hold them around his neck, he exits his cubicle to look inside the fridge as his boss, editor-in-chief, arrives.
Editor Candy Smith, “Good morning, good morning, everyone. I will keep this brief. This newspaper does not have enough content. I want you to write more articles. All you people have to do is make it UP?!” She sees Douglas putting a bagel in the toaster at the office kitchenette. She steps toward him, her high heels clicking.
“Doug, I want you to make up an article accusing an outed Democratic Senator of paying a teen for sex.”
Douglas puts a bagel in the toaster. He says, “I will never write trash about a gay man in my own party. I got stuck in this lousy job, I am no Nazi!” He smears cream cheese on the bagel, angrily.
While eating his bagel, he goes back to his desk, turns off his typewriter and loads his briefcase.
She says, “What do you think you are doing?”
With the bagel in his mouth, he mumbles several illegible sentences as he puts his jacket back on, swallows and drinks from a tumbler. When he has swallowed the bite, he grabs the bagel and says, “…and my lead at the police station will fill me in and I’ll email you the story.”
His other boss, Bill the managing editor, peeks in over the wall of the cubicle and says, “What kind of story is this?”
Douglas replies, “It is an expose on life in jail at the city jail. Some prisoners refused to talk. Others just spilled the beans”
Smith stomps and retorts, “Now I guess you’ll win the Pulitzer-Prize! Okay, Bill, ask him! When will he turn it in?!”
“Look, I’ve got just one more anonymous source, and it will go to press tonight or day after tomorrow”, Douglas answers.
“Okay, Woodward and Bernstein… write your story and if it goes to press tonight, I then want you up all night writing a story about how the Democratic Sen. Jack Kern has an accuser: a freckle faced 15-year-old he met at a campaign event. I want that piece to go to press in morning or the morning after or you will find a new job!”
As he turns the roller on his typewriter, Douglas replies, “If someone is fired, then it will not be me.”
The next day, Douglas is in the office alone at his typewriter and types: “After revealing his homosexuality, Sen. Jack Kern is the target of a new probe by the DOJ. Sources say a 15-year-old accuser has brought allegations that the Senator solicited him for sex. Sources allege that this tryst was to happen at The White House.”
Editor-In-Chief Smith calls Douglas into her office. “What do you have for me?”.
“Only that the Dems are a Mile-High Club… the scandal goes all the way to the White House.”
She lifts her head to speak, “Everybody and his uncle wants a White House witch hunt, so do I… listen, go after the President but make sure you nail Kern.”
Douglas looks over his cubicle and around the office cautiously. Now that no one is looking, he secretly sends his latest draft to the publisher (the boss of Candy Smith and owner of the newspaper). His latest draft read, “After revealing his homosexuality, Sen. Jack Kern(D) will allegedly soon be indicted by the DOJ. Sources say a 15-year-old accuser has brought smoking gun evidence the Senator forced him to have sex. Because this tryst was to happen at The White House, some are calling for a Special Prosecutor.” Hours later Douglas receives a reply: “Did this go to press?”
He replies, “Not yet, no. Why?”
The cursor blinks over three cups of coffee before there is a notification flash on the screen.
He opens the email from the Publisher: “Because if it did you would have been fired. Can you substantiate this claim?”
“No, of course not.” Douglas replied.
Suddenly, Douglas’ phone rings and he answers. It is the Publisher, an elderly man named Arthur Black. “I will be in the office in the morning with my attorneys, you had better have an explanation or be prepared to empty your office.” He hangs up. Douglas quickly sneaks out of the office and spends the night alone in an out of the way bar.
Douglas gets to the office early before dawn to park his car on the street and feed the parking meter. When he sees Publisher Black emerge from a limousine with his Attorneys, Doug crosses the street makes his way into the building. After he exits the elevator, he meets the Publisher at the center of the office.
“Mr. Rogers are you trying to make me go bankrupt?”.
“No, sir, Editor Smith ordered me to write that article.”
Publisher Black raises his voice and says, “Candy, what is the meaning of this?”
Candy Smith explodes out of her office. “I told HIM to have THAT article to press this morning and he walked out and did not answer my emails or texts all night!”
Mr. Black asks, “Did you order him to write this?”.
“Yes, I did”.
Douglas interrupts, “And I tried to tell her that creating an imaginary accuser is unethical.”
“Well, if you weren’t such a goody-two-shoes then this shithole would start selling papers”.
“I want you out of here Candy, you are fired.”
“Wait-” she begs.
“Every person who was abducted by aliens could corroborate that story, somehow. For 40 years, I ran a scandal rag that walks a fine line and DOES NOT get shut down by any party. I want you out of that office by noon or I will call security.”
She stares at his expressionless attorneys.
​
Later, Arthur Black meets with Douglas and shakes his hand as Douglas drinks coffee.
“I want to thank you for saving my company. Why don’t you help me get you a better job? I can write you a recommendation?”
“I’ve got a bad rep. I got stuck in this job and no legit news organization wants a tabloid reporter.”, Douglas sulks.
“Hey listen, I own a network of legit newspapers nationwide. I’ll let you go syndicated.”
Douglas brightens up, “Look, I’m a real reporter, no phony. I nearly quit this morning and I was going to take my integrity along with me. What’s the catch?”
“You and I are very much alike. Before I die, I want to see this rag go legit. You turn this rag into a legit publication: Real news. Meanwhile, I will help you go legit, be a real reporter, investigative news, hard news, and you’ll go national.”
Douglas nearly spits up his coffee and recovers. He smiles and they shake hands.