WWNL did. Like I told you earlier, we are going to want things to go through our filter before it’s broadcast across the nation. Times are different now. The country is in a state of emergency. There will be a process that needs to take place to get the country on track. We don’t need a population of opposing views hindering that process. Do you understand?” Anthony didn’t leave any time to answer before asking another question. “The CMA’s process of doing business isn’t going to be a problem for you, is it? Don’t get us wrong, we want you to be involved. You are a voice and face people trust. But, a voice that causes problems for us will need to be replaced.”
Marcus’s mind was racing through the whole conversation and now he needed to answer. He had figured something like this would come up. It was obvious that he had some level of distrust of Anthony. It was obvious what his opinion had been because he had been spouting it on the show for years. He was surprised they even wanted to attempt using him over someone else who didn’t have a publicly established position with an opposing stance. He thought of Thomas and what he had said. We think you can be a key element to fighting this . Whatever Thomas had meant in saying that, he was pretty sure he shouldn’t stand his ground to Anthony and the CMA at this first opportunity and blow whatever the plan was. He had to fight his own strong, instinctual desire to open his mouth and blurt out his opinion.
“Oh, I’m on board with you. The opinion portion of my news program is just all part of the show.” Marcus felt a little nervous. He hoped it didn’t show. “We’ve got a country to get on track and I think we should all work together to get it done.”
Marcus must have pulled off the lie. It was revealed when Anthony’s face transformed from the permanent evil grin into what looked like a genuine smile. Marcus smiled along with him and nodded his head.
“That’s great to hear, Marcus. You are going to make my job a lot easier. Things will be much smoother this way.”
Marcus continued to smile as Anthony guided him back to where Blake was still waiting. Blake raised an eyebrow at Marcus and lifted a palm upwards in a questioning gesture. Marcus waved him off as if there was nothing to talk about.
“We have a couple people for you to interview,” Anthony said as he handed Marcus a piece of paper. “These are the questions we’d like you to cover. They are grouped together for each person.”
Marcus could see three groups of several questions each. “Are these people familiar with these questions. It’s always nice for the interviewee to not be surprised. People are usually more well spoken and professional when it’s done that way.”
“Oh, of course. These people have all been specially chosen for this and they know all the items to be covered,” Anthony answered.
*****
Blake and Marcus spent the next forty-five minutes interviewing the three CMA employees. Marcus thought they all did really well on camera. It wasn’t surprising to him, though. He thought they were all well-versed at their propaganda. They recorded Marcus’s portion of the segment as well. Anthony had provided a script for that. Marcus was disgusted by it but did his best to hide the emotion. It felt too scripted and fake. He wondered if his usual viewers would catch on.
They repacked their gear into the helicopter and climbed back in. Ten minutes later they were climbing steadily out of the camp southward. The next stop was near Philadelphia at the regional supply depot for all the area camps. Marcus leaned back in his seat in thought for the whole flight. He was torn inside. On one hand, he felt good about gathering information for Thomas. On the other hand, he felt like having to go along with what Anthony and the CMA wanted was turning him into a coward. He was brought out of his thoughts as the helicopter began its descent.
Marcus was surprised by
Marcus’s mind was racing through the whole conversation and now he needed to answer. He had figured something like this would come up. It was obvious that he had some level of distrust of Anthony. It was obvious what his opinion had been because he had been spouting it on the show for years. He was surprised they even wanted to attempt using him over someone else who didn’t have a publicly established position with an opposing stance. He thought of Thomas and what he had said. We think you can be a key element to fighting this . Whatever Thomas had meant in saying that, he was pretty sure he shouldn’t stand his ground to Anthony and the CMA at this first opportunity and blow whatever the plan was. He had to fight his own strong, instinctual desire to open his mouth and blurt out his opinion.
“Oh, I’m on board with you. The opinion portion of my news program is just all part of the show.” Marcus felt a little nervous. He hoped it didn’t show. “We’ve got a country to get on track and I think we should all work together to get it done.”
Marcus must have pulled off the lie. It was revealed when Anthony’s face transformed from the permanent evil grin into what looked like a genuine smile. Marcus smiled along with him and nodded his head.
“That’s great to hear, Marcus. You are going to make my job a lot easier. Things will be much smoother this way.”
Marcus continued to smile as Anthony guided him back to where Blake was still waiting. Blake raised an eyebrow at Marcus and lifted a palm upwards in a questioning gesture. Marcus waved him off as if there was nothing to talk about.
“We have a couple people for you to interview,” Anthony said as he handed Marcus a piece of paper. “These are the questions we’d like you to cover. They are grouped together for each person.”
Marcus could see three groups of several questions each. “Are these people familiar with these questions. It’s always nice for the interviewee to not be surprised. People are usually more well spoken and professional when it’s done that way.”
“Oh, of course. These people have all been specially chosen for this and they know all the items to be covered,” Anthony answered.
*****
Blake and Marcus spent the next forty-five minutes interviewing the three CMA employees. Marcus thought they all did really well on camera. It wasn’t surprising to him, though. He thought they were all well-versed at their propaganda. They recorded Marcus’s portion of the segment as well. Anthony had provided a script for that. Marcus was disgusted by it but did his best to hide the emotion. It felt too scripted and fake. He wondered if his usual viewers would catch on.
They repacked their gear into the helicopter and climbed back in. Ten minutes later they were climbing steadily out of the camp southward. The next stop was near Philadelphia at the regional supply depot for all the area camps. Marcus leaned back in his seat in thought for the whole flight. He was torn inside. On one hand, he felt good about gathering information for Thomas. On the other hand, he felt like having to go along with what Anthony and the CMA wanted was turning him into a coward. He was brought out of his thoughts as the helicopter began its descent.
Marcus was surprised by
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