Chapter 312: Chapter 312: Claire Sinclair, You Really Dare to Write That
Henry Hartwell cut in sharply, "Don’t waste your breath. I won’t help you beg Young Master Quincy for mercy. And let me give you a warning: if Yara gets out of her ten-year prison sentence, I will make it my mission to publish this story in the Astoria Daily. I’ll let the whole world know that your precious daughter committed murder and got away with it."
Mrs. Quincy grew both furious and frantic. "If you won’t help, then fine! But why publish it in the paper? Besides, I never said I wanted to pardon Yara’s crime. I just want her brother to not be so harsh..."
Before she could finish, Henry Hartwell cut her off again. "Mrs. Quincy, Claire Sinclair is one of mine. You’re asking the wrong person. Go find someone else to help."
With that, Henry Hartwell bluntly hung up, his mood suddenly turning foul.
’That silly woman, Claire Sinclair... How does she always let people push her around...?’
’Looks like just teaching her journalistic ethics isn’t enough. If I don’t teach her a bit about how to handle schemers, she might get herself killed one day and not even know why.’
...
Life returned to normal, and Claire Sinclair found herself getting busy, working overtime every day to catch up on the two weeks of work she had missed.
Adrian Quincy was also very busy. Since she had returned, she hadn’t seen him in four or five days.
On the 5th, the deadline to apply for a press pass passed. Claire Sinclair checked her application status, which showed that her information had been officially logged, with the assessment details listed as "Pending."
Her status remained "Pending" for days with no further updates. With only two days left until the final review for the press pass, Claire Sinclair still hadn’t received any notice about the assessment.
So, she began to wonder. ’Since Teacher Hartwell is the only one at the entire Astoria Daily with an official press pass, it must mean only reporters on his level are qualified to even take the assessment.’
’My skills are nowhere near Teacher Hartwell’s, so it would be completely normal for them to reject my application. I might as well forget about it and just focus on my work.’
She still had an unfinished article on her desk—a new assignment from Teacher Hartwell. She was to write a piece criticizing the trend of popular idols who had grown complacent and stopped improving their craft.
Claire Sinclair first created a mind map to outline the article’s structure before she began to write. She titled the piece, "What If Art Were to Perish in the Age of Peak Popularity."
Subtitle: When Fame Reigns, Art Withers.
The article first exposed the money-making formula behind many of today’s film and television productions: "Scowling and glaring + cheap special effects + a brainless plot = a hit idol drama." From there, it explored the chaos these popularity-driven idols create to maintain their fame—hiring paid trolls, inflating engagement numbers, engaging in shameless hype, and smearing their rivals. It served as a warning that the art of performance itself was in danger of perishing amidst the hollow glamour of top-tier celebrity.
After finishing the article, Claire Sinclair sent the final draft to Henry Hartwell.
After reading it, Henry Hartwell was quiet for a few moments. Finally, he said one thing: "Claire Sinclair, you’ve got some real nerve to write this."
Claire Sinclair’s heart sank. "Teacher Hartwell," she asked anxiously, "is it too subjective?"
The cardinal sin for any journalist is to let personal subjectivity color the truth. Once a news story is tainted with improper bias, public opinion can be led astray, people’s values are affected, and the moral fabric of society is inevitably corrupted.
It was a cardinal sin, and she was terrified her article was riddled with that very bias.
Henry Hartwell looked up to meet her gaze, the corners of his lips curling into a roguish smile. "It’s not that it’s subjective. I predict this article of yours is going to go viral."
Claire Sinclair was never afraid of an article blowing up; in fact, she welcomed it. "All the better if it goes viral," she said. "We can’t just keep indulging those idols who take the paycheck but can’t be bothered to act. Someone needs to call them out."
