CHAPTER NINE
ate and Jay were sitting in their kitchen in Albany on Monday Kmorning, having just come back from the
ir run. The Globe was
out that morning, and they had picked up a copy on their way home. Jay thought, before she started reading, that she had prepared herself for the worst. She was wrong.
“Maverick Lesbian May Bring Down Time Magazine.” The headline alone was enough to make her sick to her stomach.
In what may be the single most damaging scandal ever to hit the venerable magazine, 24-year-old ace reporter Jamison Parker’s stunning revelation of an illicit relationship with 27-year-old flak Katherine Kyle has threatened to destroy the credibility Time has spent decades building.
“That’s a terribly constructed sentence.”
“What?”
Kate leaned over Jay’s shoulder. “That first sentence. It’s too wordy.”
Jay looked up at her lover. “You’re kidding me, right?”
“Hmm?” Kate continued to read.
“They’re tearing me to shreds and you’re interested in their grammar?”
“Sweetheart, the Globe is blowing smoke out its ass. You and I both know it.”
“Yes, but the public at large isn’t as erudite as that.”
“Give them more credit than that, baby. I think most people understand that tabloids take liberties with the truth.”
“Regardless, Kate, this is a nightmare.”
Lynn Ames
“I know, honey.” She kissed Jay on the top of the head and resumed reading.
“This is the most serious ethical lapse I’ve ever witnessed by a reporter at a major news magazine,” said Ernest Wheatogue, professor of journalism and an expert in ethics and the media.
“What Ms. Parker has done—writing a story about someone with whom she was romantically involved—raises questions about every other story the magazine has ever published. Is this the first instance in which a reporter at Time has shown such an appalling lack of ethics? How do we, as the reading public, know? The answer is, we don’t.”
Wheatogue added that the scandal could mushroom, causing the public to lose faith in the information it gets from what has been, to this point, one of the most respected news sources in the world.
This is apparently not the first time Parker has brought a news organization to its knees. As a junior at prestigious Middlebury College in Vermont, Parker wrote a scathing editorial that was so controversial it forced administrators to close down the school newspaper, the Campus, for two weeks. School officials, contacted for this article, refused to comment.
Jay was beside herself. “Bullshit. We shut down the press so that we could make technological upgrades.”
Editors at Time are said to be desperate to salvage the magazine’s reputation. Sources tell the Globe that managing editor Vander Standislau has demanded that every employee sign an oath to adhere to a strict code of ethics. The document was hastily drafted by the magazine’s lawyers over the weekend in the wake of the explosive disclosure of the Parker debacle.
Standislau himself is said to be distraught at the potential destruction of Time’s credibility. Sources tell the Globe that he has been holed up in his penthouse suite, surrounded by loyal editors and reporters, working to come up with a strategy to restore the magazine’s good name.
“In truth,” said Wheatogue, “I’m not sure anything short of firing Parker outright and disavowing any stories she’s written for the magazine will save them.”
Calls to Standislau and several editors at Time were unanswered at press time.
The Cost of Commitment
Jay bowed her head and put her hands over her face.
Kate turned Jay’s chair, knelt down before her, and gathered Jay to her. “Sweetheart, you know that’s not the truth.”
Jay raised her tear-stained face to her lover. “Do I?”
“Yes,” Kate answered vehemently. “You talked to Standislau yesterday, remember?”
Jay sighed heavily, “Yeah, right after I read the editorial in the Sunday Times calling for my head.”
“And what did Standislau say?”
When Jay didn’t immediately answer, Kate filled in the silence. “He told you not to worry, that he had no intention of asking for, or accepting, your resignation. He said it would take a lot more than a few bits of adverse publicity and a couple of negative editorials to change his mind.
Honey,” Kate took her lover’s face in her hands, “this is not a man who will be bullied into doing anything.”
So quietly Kate wasn’t sure she’d heard her at first, Jay said, “Maybe I should resign.”
“What?”
“I’m a liability, and the last thing I want to do is to damage the magazine.”
“Jamison, you are one of the finest writers Time has. You have done nothing but turn out masterpiece after masterpiece. Standislau told you so himself.”
“If I resign, then the whole story goes away.”
“If you resign, Jay, it will lead to speculation that you’ve done something wrong and lend credence to those questioning your work.”
Fresh tears shimmered in Jay’s eyes. “I did do something wrong, Kate. And now I have to pay for that mistake.”
“Honey, you are paying for that mistake. Look at you. You’re eating yourself alive.”
Jay glanced at the kitchen clock. “Kate, you’re going to be late for your Monday-morning briefing.”
“Screw the briefing,” Kate growled.
“No. If you let your job performance slip, then Breathwaite wins and all of this will have been for nothing. You need to be there.”
Kate hated that Jay was right. “Okay, but I need you to promise me that you won’t do anything without talking to me about it first. Deal?”
After a moment’s hesitation Jay said, “Deal.”
“I love you, Jay.” Kate kissed her on her forehead.
“I love you, too, Stretch.”
At the door to the garage Kate turned back. “Don’t let them get you, honey. We’re going to get through this, together.”
Jay simply nodded.
Lynn Ames
The meeting in Vander Standislau’s office had been going on for nearly an hour. Discarded coffee cups littered the small conference table in the corner. Half-eaten pastries were strewn about on paper napkins.
“Sir, I think this is the best course of action. We have to come out strong on this issue.”
The managing editor glared at the young man in the slick suit. Jeffrey Ochs was a capable PR man. He worked for Tandor and Wells, one of the top public relations firms in the country.
“Ochs, I’ve been in this business for more years than you’ve been alive. I’ve seen things you can’t even imagine. You are not going to sit there and tell me that my only course of action is to hang a very gifted reporter out to dry in order to stave off a little bit of crappy press.”
“Mr. Standislau, I’m telling you that if we don’t take decisive measures right now, in time for the next news cycle, you’re going to be facing a potentially insurmountable crisis. The papers are already smelling blood and they’re moving in for the kill. If you give them Parker, we can spin it that the magazine does not tolerate even the slightest hint of impropriety. The piranhas will be satisfied feeding on the firing of a reporter who violated Time’s high ethical standards, and the story will go away.”
Trish, sitting off to the side, thought she had never detested anyone more than she did this brash, arrogant spin doctor. To him, Jay’s career was totally expendable, her journalistic integrity just so much chum for the shark-infested waters. The editor stole a glance at her boss. It was clear to her that he was nearing the end of his patience. Trish could see that the other editors around the room sensed the same thing.
“Mr. Ochs,” Standislau said, “if every one of us was thrown to the sharks for making an error in judgment, I daresay there would be precious few of us left. The answer is no. I have no intention of firing Ms. Parker to satisfy the press hounds.”
Ochs started to say something, then seemed to think better of it.
“However,” Standislau raised his voice, “I do agree that we need to take the bull by the horns.” He stroked his chin as he contemplated his options. “Go ahead and book me on the morning shows for tomorrow; then I want you to set up an interview for Ms. Parker with Wanda Nelson for tonight’s America’s Heartbeat.”
“But—”
“Just do it, Mr. Ochs.”
“Yes, sir. Do you want me to contact Parker?”
“Heavens no. I’ll take care of it.”
“But, sir—”
The Cost of Commitment
“This might come as a surprise to you, Mr. Ochs, but I actually know a thing or two about publicity and PR. I’ll prepare Ms. Parker.”
“Yes, sir.”
Trish nearly wanted to laugh; the young man’s need to object was almost palpable, and she enjoyed watching him have to rein himself in.
“So you don’t want me to prepare either one of you?”
“You catch on quickly, Mr. Ochs. Now it seems to me you’ve got a lot of work to do. You’d best get going.”
“Yes, sir.” With a fleeting look around the room, he left.
Standislau turned to his editors. “Can you imagine? Yes, let’s take every one of our fine writers and nail them to the cross for screwing up.
How many reporters would we have left?”
“Vander,” said Ivo Norvika, editor of the international desk, “you do realize the threat to the magazine’s integrity is real?”
The managing editor sighed. “Yes, Ivo, I am well aware of our situation. I am confident that both Time and Ms. Parker can survive this episode intact.”
Terri Van Hotten, the lifestyles editor, piped in, “What do you want us to do?”
“I want you to have conference calls with your reporters—tell them to keep their heads down and not to discuss this matter with their colleagues or speculate aloud. The same goes for all of you.”
There was a chorus of “Yes, sirs.”
“I meant what I said: I am completely convinced that we will emerge from this matter just fine. I expect all of you to convey that confidence to your troops. Let’s get back to work.”
As they started to file out of the room, Standislau said, “Patricia, can you please spare me a moment?”
“Of course, Vander.”
When the rest of the editors had gone, Standislau said, “Sit down, Trish.”
He had never called her by her nickname, and it unnerved her.
“How is Jamison doing? Have you talked to her this morning?”
“Yes, sir. I talked to her shortly before this meeting.”
“And?”
“She’s distraught at the thought that her actions have raised questions about the magazine’s integrity. She wanted us to know that she would do whatever was necessary to protect us.”
“Mm.” Standislau nodded. “I’m not surprised. That woman has a lot of courage, and she’s very loyal.”
“Vander, Jay Parker is one of the finest human beings I know. Not to mention the fact that she’s a fantastic writer.”
Lynn Ames
“You don’t have to convince me, Trish. I’m well aware of her talents.
How did you leave it with her?”
“I told her we were meeting and that we’d be in touch in a few hours.”
“Okay. Call her and tell her we’re sending a car for her.” At her raised eyebrow he added, “It’s time to fight back.”
Trish smiled broadly as she turned to go.
“Oh, and Trish? Tell her to bring Ms. Kyle with her.”
The limousine trip to New York found Kate and Jay reminiscing about the last time they had made a similar journey. It was hard to believe it had only been five and a half months earlier.
As Kate put her arm around Jay in the back seat, they sighed simultaneously.
Jay said, “It’s amazing how much my life has changed since the last time we took this ride.”
Kate smiled. “Mine too.” She looked at her thoughtfully. “Are you sorry, Jay?”
“What?”
“Are you sorry for all the upheaval? As stressful as things have been over the past few months, I worry sometimes that you might regret the choices you’ve made.”
Jay turned more fully on the seat to face Kate, reaching out at the same time to link their hands. “Katherine Ann Kyle,” her voice broke with emotion, “you have made me happier than I ever thought I could be.
My life is so full of love, my heart is bursting. What we have is worth everything that’s happened and more. Don’t you ever doubt that.”
“I wish things could be different, though, Jay. I wish you’d never gotten dragged into this ugliness. I keep trying to think what I could have done to change that.”
“Stop it, Kate. Stop beating yourself up. I’ve had choices to make every step of the way, and I’ve made them. You said it yourself: we’ll get through this together. And you’re right—we will.”
“I know we will, but at what cost, Jay? Your privacy, your journalistic integrity, maybe even your career? It’s too much.”
“Hey.” Jay lifted the hands she held to her lips and kissed the backs of each one. “That’s my decision to make, honey, not yours, remember?
I’ve told you before—the only thing that matters to me is you, and us.
Whatever happens with this scheme, we’ll find a way to turn it around.
As long as I have you by my side, every thing else pales in significance.”
The Cost of Commitment
Kate ran her thumbs over the backs of Jay’s hands. “Have I told you lately how much I love you, and how incredibly lucky I am to have you in my life?”
Jay pretended to think. “Probably. But feel free to tell me again.”
“I love you more than life itself. And I am the luckiest woman alive, Jamison Parker.”
“Good. I like the sound of that.” Jay pressed her lips sweetly to Kate’s, trying to convey the depth of her love in the essence of her kiss.
“Now that we’ve got that settled, can we discuss our strategy for this meeting with Standislau and then tonight’s interview?”
Kate laughed. “Ever the practical one, aren’t you, Scoop?”
“Only when I’m about to be hung out to dry in front of several million people.”
“Don’t worry, love. You don’t really think I’d sit by and let that happen, do you? Over my dead body.”
“My protector.” Jay laid her head on Kate’s nearby shoulder. “Nope.
I’m counting on you to bail me out if it comes to that.”
“It won’t, honey. Wanda is doing the interview. She likes you—she told you so when you met her on the set last May.”
“That doesn’t count. I wasn’t on the hot seat then. She was too busy interviewing journalist and heroine Katherine Kyle.”
“As I recall, sweetheart, she told you she was quite taken with your work, and that was apart from anything having to do with me. Don’t you remember her saying that she and her husband read your stories and thought they were top-notch?”
“How could I forget? It’s not every day an intelligent, gorgeous movie star turned talk-show host pays you a compliment like that.”
“Exactly. I can’t believe she’d be out for your blood now.”
“Just the same, I don’t want to take any chances.”
“I agree. I’ve put together a mock interview, trying to anticipate the most troublesome questions she could ask. I thought we could do sort of a dry run. That way there won’t be any surprises, and we can refine your answers as we go along. What do you think?”
“I think I love you, Stretch.” Jay kissed Kate again. “Thank you for taking such good care of me. That’s perfect.”
“I just want you to be as comfortable and confident as possible, Jay.
Want to go through this stuff now or wait until after we meet with your boss?”
“Now. I want Standislau to know I’ll do a good job tonight.”
“Jay, if he didn’t think you’d do a great job, he wouldn’t allow you to give an interview, never mind set it up for you proactively the way he did.”
Lynn Ames
“I’d still rather get drilled now, while we have a couple of uninterrupted hours.”
“Okay then, here goes.” Kate pulled a reporter’s notebook out of the briefcase that rested at her feet, scrolling through several pages of questions and notes she had made.
“Wow, you weren’t kidding when you said you’d already given this some thought.”
“No, sweetheart, I wasn’t. I fully intend for America to know that Jamison Parker is one of the most upright, honest, talented, intelligent, impartial reporters there is.”
Jay laughed. “Is that all?”
Kate smiled. “Well, it’s a start.” She kissed Jay on the forehead.
“Here we go...”
Trish was waiting in the lobby when they arrived.
“Trish, this is Katherine Kyle. Kate, meet Trish Stanton, editor extraordinaire.”
Trish nodded at Kate in acknowledgment before asking, “How are you guys holding up?”
“Okay,” Jay answered for them. “How about you?”
“Me? Piece of cake.”
“You’re a terrible liar, have I ever told you that? Remind me to play poker with you. It’d be like taking candy from a baby.”
“You wish, kiddo. Let’s go. The boss is waiting for us in his office.”
“Is he in a good mood?”
Trish gave Jay a playful shove. “Don’t be a chicken.” To Kate she said, “Is she this difficult at home?”
“You have no idea.”
Moments later they were ushered into the managing editor’s suite.
“Hello, Patricia, Jamison.”
“Hello, sir. This is—”
“Katherine Kyle, I presume,” he finished for Jay as he strode across the room and grasped Kate’s hand in a firm grip.
“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Mr. Standislau. I only wish it were under different circumstances.”
“I’m glad you could make it. Please, sit down, everyone.”
When they were seated, Standislau said, “As you know, this has become bigger than any of us anticipated.”
“I’m so sor—”
He waved off Jay’s apology. “Don’t, Jamison. None of us thought this essentially personal matter would rise to this level. What’s done is The Cost of Commitment
done. The important thing now is to nip this thing in the bud. I’m tired of being on the defensive. It’s time to fight back.”
Sitting directly across from him, Kate smiled. She’d never met the managing editor before, though his reputation was legendary. He was known as a straight shooter—tough, gruff, fair, and fiercely protective of his magazine and his employees. She could see that the description was well deserved.
“My experts tell me Wanda Nelson is a skilled interviewer. I hear she’s not afraid to ask the tough questions, but she’s also not obnoxious about belaboring issues ad nauseum. Ms. Kyle, my recollection is that you have some experience with her?”
“Yes, sir. I would say your assessment of Wanda and her style is accurate. I have always found her to be fair. I think we have the added advantage of knowing that she is familiar with, and respects, Jay’s work.”
Both Standislau and Trish gave her slightly surprised looks.
“Wanda has met Jay once before.” Kate didn’t want to elaborate any further and was grateful when Jay’s bosses simply nodded in understanding.
“Right then,” Standislau went on. “That helps.”
“If I might, Mr. Standislau,” Jay ventured, “Kate and I have taken the liberty of running through the questions we think will likely come up tonight. Is there anything from your perspective you’re most concerned about?”
He smiled at Kate. “I knew having a PR expert on hand would come in handy. You two make an impressive team.” He turned his attention to Jay. “My focus, as you might imagine, is strictly the integrity of this magazine and its product. I want folks to walk away from your interview and my three torture sessions tomorrow morning having confidence in Time, in the news we bring them and the accuracy of the information on our pages. I want the viewers and our readers to trust us.”
“Okay,” said Jay, “what do you see my role as being?”
“I want to give you a forum to defend yourself and to restore your reputation. I also believe that if the public meets you and gets to know you a little bit, they’ll know what we do: that you’re an outstanding human being and an excellent reporter with grit and honor.”
Jay asked, “Are there any areas you’d like me to specifically avoid?”
Standislau stood and walked over to the large picture windows, gazing out at the city below. Without turning around he said, “I think that you ought to focus narrowly on the accusations being hurled against your character and ethics. Leave the magazine’s policies and reputation to me.”
Lynn Ames
“If I’m asked a direct question about who knew what, when, how do you want me to answer it?”
The managing editor turned around to look at Jay, and then at Kate.
“How would you have her answer it, Ms. Kyle?”
Looking him directly in the eye, she answered, “Honesty is the best policy, sir.” Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Trish shift uncomfortably in her seat. Kate added, “That doesn’t mean, however, that you have to say everything you know. It merely means that you should answer the question. As I’m sure you all know, there are many ways to answer a question.”
Standislau regarded Kate appreciatively. “Yes, Ms. Kyle, there’s certainly a lot of truth in that. I suspect that Time and Jamison are in good hands with you.”
“Just trying to help out, sir.”
“Jamison?”
“Yes, sir?”
“How do you feel about all this? Do you think you can carry this off?”
“I think, Mr. Standislau, that I’m tired of sitting by while everybody takes shots at me and at Time. I say you’re right. It’s time to fight back.
I’m happy to have an opportunity to set the record straight and put this behind us.”
“I’m glad to hear that, Jamison. Very glad to hear that. Okay, let’s reconvene after the interview tonight and see where we are. Then we’ll know if we have any specific adjustments we’ll need to make to our strategy or any areas on which we need to place particular emphasis.
Good luck, ladies. I’ll have the car come and get you for the show at 6:45, all right? I believe my secretary has the address.”
“Thank you, sir,” Kate and Jay said as they rose to leave.
“Do me proud, ladies. Patricia, can you stay a minute?”
“Of course.”
When the door had closed he said, “Ms. Kyle is quite impressive, isn’t she?”
“Yes, sir, she sure is.”
“Her looks won’t hurt with the viewers, either.”
“I think they’ll both score well with the public on that count, Vander.”
He chuckled. “They will at that. I want you to know I’ve got pollsters standing by to run numbers after tonight’s show. That will give us a good idea what ground we need to cover in the morning.” He paused, looking uncomfortable for a moment. “It will also tell us whether or not it will be too much of a liability to hold on to Jamison.”
Trish’s eyes registered indignation.
The Cost of Commitment
“This is a business, Trish,” he said, shrugging apologetically. “As much as you and I both like her and have faith in her talents and abilities, I can’t keep her to the detriment of the magazine.”
“I thought you were of the opinion we could win this battle.”
“I am.”
“Without casualties,” she added bitingly.
“I’d like that to be the case. Patricia, I know you think very highly of Jamison. I do, too. But we both have jobs to do and an obligation to the organization. Let’s just wait and see what happens tonight. Perhaps she’ll acquit herself well and we won’t have to worry about next steps.”
Trish nodded curtly. “I have work to do.”
The studio lights were hot, and Jay was grateful for Kate’s suggestion that she wear something sleeveless under her suit jacket, even though it was in the forties outside.
“My television experience has to be good for something, sweetheart,”
she’d said.
A hand on her shoulder jolted Jay back to the moment.
“Are you okay, love?”
They were sitting on the set, waiting for Wanda Nelson to join them.
Their lavaliere microphones had not yet been affixed.
“Yeah.”
“It’s understandable to be nervous, Jay. Just remember, I’ll be right here with you. Be yourself—you’ll win them over in a heartbeat.”
“Thanks, Kate. I don’t know what I’d do without you.”
Kate smiled at her affectionately, even as she thought with a pang, Without me, you wouldn’t be in this mess.
“Good evening, Jamison. It’s good to see you again.”
Kate and Jay looked up to see Wanda Nelson standing over them. Her tawny skin glowed with good health. Perfect teeth smiled out from a flawless face that had graced many movie screens. After serving as a guest host on the Today Show for two years, she had been given her own weekly newsmagazine show two months earlier. The thing that set it apart from all other similar shows was that the interviews were conducted live, not taped for later broadcast.
“Katherine, it’s nice to see you again as well.”
Both women stood up to shake her hand.
“I thought I’d start by interviewing Jamison first.” Wanda looked from one woman to the other. “Then for the last few minutes of the segment we’ll bring you in, Katherine, and talk to you as well.”
Lynn Ames
While neither Kate nor Jay was particularly happy with this arrangement, it was clear that Wanda was in charge and there was no room for negotiation.
“Sure,” Kate said easily. “Is it all right with you if I just stand in the wings to watch?”
“Absolutely. I’m sure Jamison will be more comfortable that way.”
Wanda smiled as a production assistant pinned a microphone to her lapel and handed her an earpiece. Another assistant outfitted Jay with a mic as well.
“Two minutes, people,” called out a disembodied voice.
With a squeeze to Jay’s shoulder and a wink, Kate moved off set, finding a spot that was directly in line with Wanda’s head. This would make it possible for Jay to steal glances at her, all the while appearing to be looking at her interviewer.
“Thirty seconds.”
Jay rotated her shoulders to relax as Wanda reviewed notes she had placed on the floor next to her chair.
“And five, four, three, two, one...cue the music.” A hand behind one of the cameras was raised, and the operator cued the host.
“Good evening, everyone, and welcome to America’s Heartbeat. I’m Wanda Nelson. In our first segment tonight, we’re going to examine a question of journalistic ethics. What happens when a reporter gets too close to her subject? Should a journalist be allowed to write about something, or someone, she knows? We’ll get up close and personal with Jamison Parker, a Time magazine reporter accused of doing just that, right after this.”
The red light on the camera went off, and the host resumed reviewing her notes. Two minutes later, she received the next cue.
“Welcome back. With me in the studio tonight is Jamison Parker, a writer for Time magazine who found herself the subject of much discussion this week. Ms. Parker, thank you for being here.”
The camera was rolled back to fit both women in the shot.
“Thank you, it’s a pleasure to be here.”
Kate thought Jay looked relaxed, although she knew otherwise. She had taught Jay a couple of quick techniques for appearing at ease in front of the camera and was glad to see her lover using those to good advantage.
“Ms. Parker—”
“Please, call me Jay.” She smiled her most engaging smile.
“Good enough. Jay, let’s talk about what happened earlier this week, and then we’ll take it from there. At a press conference you took the extraordinary step of openly acknowledging your homosexuality. Why would you do that?”
The Cost of Commitment
“As so many people do, Wanda, several months ago I fell in love.
Unlike most people, however, I was unable to publicly declare that love.
Being a lesbian can be difficult enough under normal circumstances in our society. Add to that a relationship with a high-profile individual, and it becomes nearly impossible. My partner and I finally reached the decision that we no longer wished to be hounded by members of the media, all of whom were inexplicably interested in my identity. It seemed that the best way to reclaim our privacy was to get our relationship out into the open. That is what we did earlier this week.”
“For those viewers who are unaware of who Ms. Parker’s partner is, she is none other than Katherine Kyle, a former television news anchor who catapulted to fame last May when she became the only reporter on the scene as two explosions rocked the New York state capitol building.
Ms. Kyle’s coverage was carried all over the world by CNN and other news outlets. The next week, she was featured on the cover of Time magazine. And that’s where this story gets interesting. Jay, you wrote that cover story on your partner, did you not?”
“At the time I was assigned to write the story, Kate and I were not involved. She was not my partner, no.”
“But you knew her?”
“Actually, before the bombing at the capitol, I did not know her name.”
The interviewer looked surprised, recalling clearly the chemistry between the two women when they had visited the set of the Today Show the morning after the bombing. “No?”
“No. We attended the same college, although Kate was two years ahead of me. Our paths crossed several times back then, but I never knew who she was.”
“So you were not an item in college.”
Jay smiled. “I’d like to think I wouldn’t get involved with someone before at least asking her name.” She winked, looking over Wanda’s head at Kate, who smiled broadly back at her.
“Good point. When, exactly, did you become romantically involved?”
“We got reacquainted shortly after the bombing. When I saw Kate on television, I finally learned her name. I was in Albany to interview Governor Hyland. When I saw Kate on CNN, I went to the scene of the bombing to see if she was all right. It turned out that we both needed to get to New York City—she was set to appear on the three morning news shows the next morning, and my interview with the governor had gotten rescheduled for his Manhattan office later the same day—so she offered to give me a ride.”
“And you became involved then?”
Lynn Ames
“No. I wrote the story on Governor Hyland, and Kate returned to Albany. When I turned in my piece, I was assigned to write a cover story about the new breed of journalists. My editor wanted the piece to focus on Kate. So I returned to Albany to research the story, interview her colleagues, and talk to some of the victims of the capitol bombing. The fact that she had run back into the capitol after the second explosion to help rescue folks who were trapped was something unique for journalists, who are generally impartial observers. That was one of the major angles of my story. It wasn’t until I had completed all of the interviews and research that we started to date.”
“So you weren’t involved romantically before that, but you did know her.”
“Yes, and in retrospect, I should have made that fact plain to my editors.”
Good, thought Kate as she watched proudly from the wings. Take responsibility, tell the truth, exonerate the magazine, and control the interview.
“Your editors didn’t know that you had a connection to Kate?”
“No. At the time, I didn’t think it was relevant. Should I have told them that I went to college with her but didn’t know her name until the bombing? Perhaps, but it just didn’t occur to me that it would become significant.” Jay leaned forward as Kate had told her to do to convey earnestness. “I set out to write the most objective story possible. In fact, when I wrote the piece, the question I asked myself repeatedly was, would I write this any differently if I didn’t know Kate at all? The answer I kept coming back with was no. My intention was to let the bombing victims, her colleagues, and her actions tell the story. I am confident that anyone reading the piece will feel that that is the story they got.”
Wanda nodded. “I have to say, Jay, I read the story at the time, and I reread it closely several times in preparation for this interview, and I could not find any hint of bias in it.”
“I’m glad. I take my job very seriously. I have a responsibility to the public to inform them, to educate them, and to present stories that are well rounded, impartial, and interesting. If I thought for a minute that I had not met those standards in this instance, I would willingly step aside.
I have no desire to mislead anyone. Folks fall in love every day with people they meet while working. That’s what happened here. If I had it to do again, I would make some different choices, perhaps. I certainly would have told my editors that Kate’s and my paths had crossed before, and I might have recused myself from the story if I’d known what would happen later. But I didn’t have a crystal ball and couldn’t foresee falling in love like that.”
The Cost of Commitment
Wanda said, chuckling, “I don’t know anyone who plans when and where to fall in love. I know that I met my husband while making a movie on which he was a consultant. Falling in love was about the last thing I thought would happen on that set.”
There was a momentary pause, then Wanda said. “When we come back, a look back at the stories that made headlines this week.”
The disembodied voice called out, “And we’re clear.”
Wanda rose from her chair, reaching out her hand to Jay. “Wow, that went by too quickly.” She motioned Kate over. “I’m really sorry I didn’t get to talk to you both together, but we just ran out of time.”
Kate wasn’t sure if Wanda was being sincere or if it had been her intention all along to interview Jay alone. “That’s quite all right.”
“I want you both to know that I have tremendous respect for what you did by coming out—that took a lot of courage. I understand better than most what it’s like to have the paparazzi hounding you day and night. I wish you all the best and hope you find some peace.”
“Thank you, Wanda. We appreciate that.” Kate waited patiently as a technician stripped Jay of her microphone. Then she placed her hand gently on her partner’s back and guided her off the set.
When they were well clear, Kate gave Jay a one-armed hug. “You were fantastic, sweetheart. I am so very, very proud of you.”
“Yeah?”
“Yeah. You handled that with grace and style. And you got the interviewer to add to your credibility. That doesn’t happen every day, trust me.”
“The audience that matters awaits us.” She gestured to the waiting limousine that would take them back to Standislau’s office, suddenly looking tired. “I wish we could just go home and curl up together instead.”
“Me too, sweetheart. Soon, I promise.”
By the time they’d made it through the midtown Manhattan congestion, it was after 10:30 p.m. Standislau and Trish were waiting for them in the managing editor’s office.
“Come in, come in you two. Have a seat, you must be exhausted.”
“Thanks,” Jay said, as she plopped down in the nearest chair. In truth, she was dead tired, but she was also nervous. She was grateful when Kate selected the seat directly next to her, needing that proximity and her lover’s quiet strength.
“I’m sure it will come as no surprise to you that I took the liberty of gauging public opinion about your interview.”
Lynn Ames
Jay stiffened imperceptibly, and Kate squeezed her hand surreptitiously before letting go. If Standislau saw the gesture, he gave no indication.
“We asked several questions in the poll: Did you find Ms. Parker credible? Does her explanation of events make you more, or less sympathetic? Would you rate her ethics excellent, good, fair, poor, or unacceptable? Would you trust a story written by Ms. Parker in the future? How much do you trust the stories you read in Time magazine: completely, mostly, partially, or not at all? Seeing this interview, are you more, or less likely to trust the information you get in Time?”
The managing editor paused for a moment, looking up at Jay. “I have to say, even I was surprised at the numbers.”
Jay thought the man would have made a great poker player. It was impossible to tell whether he meant that he’d been pleasantly surprised or horrified by the results.
“I am happy to say that you scored off the charts in almost every instance. Eighty-two percent of respondents said you were credible.
Seventy-one percent said your explanation made them more sympathetic.
Forty-three percent said your ethics were excellent, and another thirty-one percent said they were good. An overwhelming eighty-seven percent said they would trust a story from you in the future.”
Jay relaxed minutely and chanced a glance at Kate, whose eyes twinkled back at her with pride.
“As for the magazine,” Standislau continued, “the news was also excellent.” He put the poll results down and looked at Jay. “Thank you, by the way, for making a point of letting your editors off the hook. I know we didn’t talk about the specifics of what you were going to say ahead of time. That was very classy.”
“It was the least I could do, sir.”
“Yes, well,” he cleared his throat and picked up his sheaf of papers once again, “a combined seventy-four percent of respondents said they would trust the stories in Time completely or partially, and an astounding ninety-one percent said they were more likely to trust the information in Time as a result of the interview.
“I can’t imagine anything I could say tomorrow could acquit us any better than you have tonight. Congratulations, Jamison. I suggest you get some sleep. We’ll talk again tomorrow.”
The reactions to Vander Standislau’s appearances the next morning were equally positive, his explanation of Time’s stringent policies and code of ethics more than satisfying the viewers. Asked about Jay’s revelation regarding her personal life, he answered unequivocally that his employees’ personal lives were their own business and that he was only The Cost of Commitment
interested in the job they did. Jamison Parker, he said, was an outstanding reporter.
Lynn Ames
The Cost of Commitment