[Chapter 60: We Are the Rules]
Fox Television Center, Office of the Channel 11 Director.
Cynthia Rosenberg smiled as she praised Megan Taylor, "The recent shows have been doing well, the ratings are clearly up."
Megan knew her boss wouldn't have called just to say that, so she reminded her, "The major headlines need to be sensational enough. With that as a base, the production team can really make something out of it."
"Expenses have been quite high lately," Cynthia suddenly shifted tone, "Last night, we spent a hundred grand just to buy one story."
Megan was prepared for this and replied directly, "A reporter caught Sarah Jessica Parker and her husband with a former male model in a three-way situation."
Cynthia said, "Sarah's husband is Matthew Broderek, an executive and producer at Ackerman Films. I've told you before, all news involving well-known producers must be handled with care."
She was just as straightforward, "Pull the news, don't use it."
"That news cost a hundred grand, and the production team signed a transfer agreement," Megan didn't want to waste resources and explained, "The National Enquirer reported on Sarah Jessica Parker's scandal before, which involved Broderek."
Cynthia waved her hand, her voice turning stern, "Do you really not understand, or are you pretending not to? Sarah cheating on Broderek makes him the victim, showcasing his manly grace. This involves him directly and could affect his career."
Megan wanted to protest.
Cynthia raised her hand to stop her, "Roger Ailes himself called me. Do you understand?"
Megan felt all her words blocked in her throat, unable to say anything.
Roger Ailes, Rupert Murdoch's most trusted man, the emperor of Fox Television.
Then, she realized this was not only the industry's so-called unspoken rule; it tied into other aspects as well. The upper management at Fox was largely Jewish, and so was Broderek.
Megan understood just how powerful the clout of the media and entertainment circles was; it was impossible to resist. Silently, she stood up to leave.
Cynthia added, "The news is to be sealed and not leaked! Tell that person who provided the video that they can take their money but need to keep their mouth and hands to themselves."
Megan instantly recognized the implication, "The source for the news cannot be disclosed, and those providing it are protected by the Freedom of the Press."
Cynthia replied, "You still don't get it, dear, we are the rules."
Megan understood that "we" did not refer to her and Cynthia.
Cynthia urged, "Get on it."
...
Megan returned to the production team's area and told Claire, "Gather everyone for a meeting."
A few minutes later, the production team filled the conference room.
"The three-way story is canceled and sealed." Megan, both anchor and producer, looked at a big-nosed man, "Abraham Adler, care to explain why?"
He was one of those who had seen the video last night, unfazed as he replied, "I don't want the show to get into crisis."
Megan displayed her firmness: "Alright, pack your things and leave my production team. Where you go next is up to whom you called yesterday."
Everyone turned their gaze to Abraham, with anger, disdain, and contempt.
Betrayers and informants were unwelcome everywhere.
Abraham began to gather his personal items, but he was not worried; being Jewish had its advantages in this industry.
Last night, he was sure that the producer Broderek was about to face scandal, so he quickly contacted his mentors. There was a certain unspoken agreement among Jewish people in and out of the industry; as long as they didn't go too far, they would help each other out.
Downie Jr., a star, and a toxic character held little weight.
But Broderek had resources that far surpassed Downie's.
After Megan dealt with the disciplinary measures, she instructed, "Claire, you and Molly supervise the destruction of the video, and give me the storage drive."
Someone brought her the storage drive.
Such videos were tightly controlled internally, and only two backups existed, which would all be destroyed.
Megan took the storage drive to the storage center, where, following internal procedures, it was labeled accordingly and stored in the Fox secure vault.
These would become resources controlled by Fox.
Megan stood by the window, gazing out at Century City. She pulled out her phone, found Hawke's number, and dialed, "Got some time? Want to grab a coffee? My treat."
...
Half an hour later, Megan arrived in Westwood and met Hawke, who had just come from the gym.
Hawke ordered his coffee, curious, "What's up? Is there a problem with the video?"
"Sure is, the news ran into an unexpected situation," Megan stated plainly, "Roger Ailes pressured my boss, the news got pulled, and the video is sealed."
She asked, "You know who Roger Ailes is, right?"
"Yeah, the big guy at Fox." Hawke responded, somewhat taken aback, but not too much, as Broderek wasn't a star.
What he cared about more wasn't that: "Megan, I signed the copyright transfer agreement with the production team. There's no way I'm giving that hundred grand back."
Megan glanced at him, "You don't need to. I'm here to tell you about this, but I also want to remind you that if you have any copies, they must not leak. This matter involves the Jewish influence in Hollywood and the media circle, which is trouble far beyond what you think."
Hawke nodded, "The Jewish influence in media, that sounds pretty scary."
He was an excellent headline news machine, and Megan didn't want to lose him so quickly; she said with seriousness, "They believe they embody the principles, so they don't feel the need to adhere to any. Those people disregard the Freedom of the Press law. Your information might have been leaked, and you could be approached or warned, so you need to be careful."
Hawke made a gesture across his neck, "You mean like this?"
"Not that severe." Megan waved her hand, "Broderek isn't that heavyweight. He's just an executive and producer at a mid-level film company. It's just that those people tend to band together, and they have..."
She was about to mention paranoia but quickly changed her words, "...to protect the interests of the entire group."
Hawke said, "I got it." He smiled, "Thanks for the heads up."
Megan waved it off, "No big deal."
"Looks like you've been warned, too." Hawke, catching her tone of dissatisfaction, remarked, "If the video leaks, would you be in big trouble?"
Megan forced a smile, "I might be out of a job."
Hawke pretended to be very concerned, mirroring her demeanor, promising, "Don't worry, I'm a principled person. Once I take that hundred grand from you, I'll make sure it stays under wraps."
What could Megan say? She could only accept his sentiments like Hawke had just done: "Thank you."
Hawke took his leave, "I've got to go; I still need to work."
Megan had mentioned treating him, paying for the tip and coffee.
...
Hawke stepped out, getting into his car, turning onto Santa Monica Boulevard to find a quiet place to park.
He contemplated the day's events carefully; Megan wouldn't lie about such things, so the information from him as a news provider must have leaked, and Broderek must know that the person who filmed was Hawke Osment.
It wouldn't be long before someone came to remind or warn him.
Of course, the prominent producers in Hollywood would never meet with a paparazzo in their eyes.
Hawke disliked being in a passive position, and since it was unavoidable, why not take the initiative?
Sarah Jessica Parker's public relations manager was a familiar face to him.
After considering for a while, Hawke pulled out his phone, found Caroline Jones's number, and called, saying, "Hey, Caroline, there's something I want to discuss with you. If you have time, let's book a pool and have a swim and chat, shall we?"
*****
https://www.patreon.com/Sayonara816.