Scoop by Rene Gutteridge Read Free Book Online

wasn’t smiling. She wasn’t even focused.
    Neither was he.

Chapter 5
    R ay shivered inside his lightweight jacket. With the microphone in his grip and his arms wrapped around himself, he studied his notes. There were several points he wanted to make. Through his voice-over, he told the basic story. First, he knew people would immediately identify with Petey Green, the neighbor who had to live with the stench, sound, and stigma of five next-door pigs. So he wanted to make sure to state the city ordinances concerning farm animals on private residential property. But he thought Elva Jones had a point too. After all, she and her family had lived there long before the rest of the neighborhood had moved in. Some research earlier in the day revealed that ten years ago she lost a small farm when the city zoned it commercial, and she was forced to sell it.
    Trying to force out of his head the thought of how cold he was, Ray read his notes over and over. That was one talent he’d perfected early in his career. He could rattle off an entire litany without ever glancing down, even amid distraction. A kid once pelted him with pebbles during a live shot, yet he managed to get through it without even a hint of hesitation. The delivery was all about concentration and focus. The story was about research and investigation.
    Ray was disappointed they weren’t going to be first up. He didn’t like the location from which they were shooting, and he would be glad to get out of there. Beaker stood by his mounted camera and signaled that the newscast was about to begin.
    Ray kept looking over his notes, hoping to bring out the real human story behind what, at the end of the day, was really a sideshow. It’s what people wanted to see. They loved a good conflict, especially with people like Elva Jones and Petey Green…people who didn’t understand in theleast that they were being exploited for what was essentially entertainment. Sure, the pig law had news value, but without Ray’s help, it would have very little. People wanted to see what a woman living with a pigsty might look like and the mans reaction to it next door.
    Ray couldn’t stop feeling a little disgusted. Ben James, a reporter who had been with the station twenty years before retiring, once told him that eventually he would get over it. “You think you’re going to change the world,” Ben had said. “But the world always changes you, Ray. After a few years, I realized that this business was always going to be what it was. So I took the sensationalism and everything that came with it, I accepted it, and I did the best reporting I could. And you know, over the years, I think there were a few stories that at least made a small difference. I really believe that. And the rest? Well, you gotta do something to bring home a paycheck.” Ray had spent a sleepless night pondering Ben’s words…and the news story that they were covering at the time. A child had disappeared from a playground, and the probable outcome was looking more and more grim. Ray felt sick to his stomach every time they relentlessly used the story to hook the viewer.
    “News Channel 7 has uncovered shocking new details in the disappearance of David Blare.”
    “New at ten, learn what police are saying about a man who was seen near the park.”
    “After the break, learn why David’s parents are taking their anger out on police.”
    He hated every moment of it. He’d felt so ashamed when he arrived at the prayer vigil, feeling like he was intruding on a private moment for David’s friends and family. His producer had wanted quotes. How could you grab a sound bite from a person’s living nightmare?
    Ray and Beaker had wandered around looking for anyone who seemed willing to talk about it. The willing people had only known David distantly.
    Afterward, as Ray and Beaker were loading their equipment into the truck, he felt someone touch his shoulder. It was David Blares mother. Ray wasn’t sure whether to