Free Heaven's Fire by Sandra Balzo Page B

reporter, then as a director/producer. That’s long enough to see a lot of change. I've gotten used to local news time being used to promote network shows, and 'News that can save your life!' that's so vitally important to people that we can tease it for two weeks."
    "Meanwhile, people are dropping dead all over the place, huh?" Aamot asked with a grin.
    "You got it," she said, smiling back. She shifted on the picnic bench. "But what really bothers me is the warped view of the world you can get by only watching TV news. "
    She set down the gyro and leaned forward on her elbows. " We do a story about someone who is protesting something--chunks in their peanut butter, say. If you didn’t know better, you’d think there was this huge anti-chunk movement out there instead of one old lady with dentures. "
    Aamot laughed and handed her a napkin. " Do you think the public is that gullible? "
    She took the hint and wiped her chin. " Gullible? No, I don’t think the public is gullible necessarily, it just wants to be entertained, instead of informed. People don’t read the newspaper or news magazines or watch real news programs, unless something catastrophic happens. Then they're insatiable--they just can't get enough of the story. The rest of the time, though, they're happy to catch our 'eleven minutes of non-stop news' and be done with it. "
    " So, don't stations like yours, " he nodded at her, " have tremendous power to shape people’s perceptions? "
    " Yesss. " She said it warily. Aamot wasn’t looking like such a pussycat anymore. Jake thought about the research she'd done on the Firenzes: The fire in the box she'd told Martha about, the earlier explosion at the factory, and the fact that Aamot was the investigator then, too. How would those facts--kneaded, shaped, and fed to the public in easily digestible tidbits--be perceived?
    " Then don't you also have a responsibility?" Aamot followed up . "To present both sides of a story, to have balanced coverage? "
    "In eleven minutes? Don't be silly." Realizing sarcasm probably wouldn't cut it here, Jake took a pull on her soda. " I take it you’re not thrilled wi th our coverage of the accident. "
    Aamot sawed off a chunk of pita bread with his plastic knife and speared it, then a chunk of lamb and some onions with his plastic fork. Geez, the man ate gyros with a knife and fork. It almost offset the attractiveness of the Mountain Dew addiction. " No. "
    Jake waited, but no more seemed forthcoming. It was Jake's nature to feel responsible for everything that happened around her, but, honestly, the one-sided coverage wasn't all the station's fault. Aamot wasn't helping his cause. " If the coverage of the explosion isn’t balanced, isn’t that partly your fault? Why don’t you agree to an interview? "
    " I told you, I don’t have any concrete information for you yet. It’s not my responsibility to keep you in sound bites in the meantime. "
    Jake wiped off her hands and set the napkin carefully down on the table, ready to do battle. " So what are we supposed to report? "
    " The news. Just don’t invent it. "
    " We-- "
    " Mind if I join you? "
    The voice came from behind Jake. She twisted and saw Bryan Williams. Bryan was the owner of Festivities, the event marketing firm that was managing Lake Days. He was also Jake's former boss. And former lover. Emphasis on "former."
    Bryan had a junior-size orange drink in hand. Wimp.
    Aamot stood up to introduce himself. The two men shook hands. Bryan was about five-foot-nine and slender. His silver hair made him look distinguished and ten years older than his forty years. Even dressed casually today in jeans and a shirt with the Refresh Yourself Lake Days logo, he looked smooth and immaculate. Jake just knew his jeans had been pressed.
    Aamot was wearing jeans, too, but looked entirely comfortable in them. And in himself.
    But it was Bryan who was speaking. " I blame myself. I should have known this show was too much for the Firenzes.