Her editor texted immediately after: Ethics hearing scheduled. They claim you obtained proprietary docs improperly. Your source’s old personnel file just landed on my desk, too. ‘Unstable.’ We need to talk. Nina stared at the message. Publish now with questions unanswered, or fight for time and risk losing the platform entirely.
She met her editor in a coffee shop he rarely used. “They sent this,” he said, sliding over Jessa’s file. Notes about “fixation on patterns,” “refusal to follow updated protocols,” sudden “health concerns” after she questioned numbers. “If we run this, they will say we exploited a troubled ex-employee,” he warned.