-
Rod Raglin
a rough-cut book bubble about
The Thin White Line
Mystery, Thriller & Suspense
Author Insight
For a journalist credibility is everything.
If you’ve got it, the readers believe you. If you haven’t, you’re just another guy making things up on a blog. Credibility is a lot like trust, it’s not given, it has to be earned – and it takes a long time. The flip side is it can be lost in a heartbeat. An unverified fact, a misrepresented quote, a hint of conflict of interest and that reputation you spent all those years building is wiped out. Matt’s sacrificed a great deal, even risked his life for “the story”. He’s missed opportunities, kept people at distance, made lots of powerful enemies and very few friends so that when his byline appears above a story, readers will believe what he wrote. A victim of the zeitgeist of the times, he’s become the messenger of an inconvenient truth, one that challenges the assumptions of the public and threatens powerful people. With his enemies are closing in, the solution is to compromise his credibility, but since that’s about all his has left he’s reluctant to do it. However, if he doesn’t, being cancelled will be the least of his worries. The Thin White Line – A racially charged novel of political suspense, domestic terrorism and murder. Watch for the release date here.
Book Excerpt
The Thin White Line
Matt, it’s Lane. Don’t hang up.”
“How do I know you’re not recording this live?”
“I didn’t know Rick was going to put you on and–”
“Bullshit.” Matt disconnected.
She immediately called again.
He shouldn’t answer but he was so fucking angry and what better person to take it out on?
“Yeah?”
“Okay, maybe I did know, but someone needs to defend you, and since you won’t–”
“Defend! Don’t you mean sabotage? After Rick the Rebel and your podcast, I’ll be lucky if I have any career left.”
“You can come and work with me, we’d make a great team.”
“Work with you? Why would you ever think I’d want to work with you?”
“Because you’re fucked, Matt!”
There was a pause in their shouting.
“Please, just listen to me,” Lane said. “Let me say my piece and then you can tell me to fuck off – or maybe not.”
What did he have to lose? “Okay.”
“You’re wasting my time, Lane.”
“Look, I’ve got one chance to convince you so give me a moment to collect my thoughts.”
“Time’s up.”
“For years you’ve been telling their narrative,” Lane said. “You’ve looked where they told you, collected the facts they allowed you to find, and then allowed you to publish. You were complicit without even knowing it. Then one day, your frustration makes you take a different perspective, and you uncover evidence that proves things aren’t what they seem, and you can no longer justify the rationalizations. You submit an op-ed piece and somehow it gets through the corporate bosses’ vetting process and appears in print.”
“I don’t need your context, Lane, nor do I agree with it.”
“You’ve exposed them, Matt, and they’re not going to let you get away with it. You’re done. You won’t be able to get a job writing advertising copy, unless–”
“I partner up with you? You’re as delusional as your reporting.”
“We could do great things, Matt. With your investigative skills and my profile and audience, we could expose those who would denigrate and erode our values, culture, our very country.”
Matt disconnected – but not because what Lane was saying was bullshit.
Click Follow to receive emails when this author adds content on Bublish
Comment on this Bubble
Your comment and a link to this bubble will also appear in your Facebook feed.