American Gossip King

Chapter 31 All for Profit

"Was Danny Koskerri dismembered a gang killing or an evil ritual?"

In his office, Ian looked at his report and chuckled.

Although this news isn't exactly a major scoop, the fact that it involves gangs, death, and evil rituals makes it a story in itself.

The large, shocking photos, dismembered limbs, a six-pointed star, and a head made up to look like a clown, were like a scene from a movie, stimulating the audience's adrenaline and boosting the Los Angeles Herald's sales—this time there was no video, only photos and text, making it an exclusive for the Los Angeles Herald.

It's not exactly an exclusive in the strict sense, because other media outlets could also report on it. The problem is that the police would immediately cordon off the scene and clear everything, making it virtually impossible for other reporters to get complete photos.

So the news isn't exclusive, but the photos are!

Of course, since there was no video this time, and it was only published in the Los Angeles Herald, it means that Ian's right eye will not improve much due to sales, but it will be beneficial to the newspaper itself.

Despite this, the improvement in the right eye has reached nearly 500 and is still increasing. In addition, the Blazer case and the Lili Marta incident are also continuing to unfold, and it is now almost up to 300.

Two more big surprises and my right eye will be upgraded.

As for the madman Git?

He wasn't worried because after this experience, Gitte would realize he was better prepared, and rushing into action against him would only bring him more trouble—Ian Karl's reputation was growing.

Moreover, he's a business owner, not a homeless person on the street! Plus, he sent the person there, so to avoid suspicion, he probably won't show his face for the time being.

Once my eyes are upgraded and I gain new skills, I will become even stronger, and then I may not need to worry about this guy anymore.

Just as I was thinking this, Editor-in-Chief Lloyd excitedly walked in.

He waved the report in his hand and said, "Thirty thousand copies! Our sales today reached thirty thousand copies. And that's not all the data. We expect our newspapers to sell like hotcakes for the next two days!"

The reason it sold 30,000 copies was not because the news was more valuable than the Charlie Mills case, the Blazer case, or the Lili Marta case, but because the pilot program had gained popularity during this period, coupled with Ian's investment of all his earnings and the expansion of sales channels.

Of course, Ian's photos are indeed classics... they were taken carefully from the right angles and selected by him.

The photos alone are enough to qualify for the Pritzker Prize!

At that moment, Lloyd handed Ian an IOU, which was for a debt Ian had previously owed Garrick, which he had taken back after Lloyd paid him back.

Sitting in his leather boss's chair, Ian took the report, glanced at it, and tossed it aside. "Just peak sales, nothing to be proud of. The media needs a lot of news every day; building a solid foundation is key. What I want is for our newspaper to have a daily circulation of over 150,000 even without big scoops. Ron, invest all the money you have now; the distribution channels must be expanded further! Quickly! I don't want to waste my news value anymore!"

Exclusive news stories have a huge impact on boosting sales!

Using the money he had earned, Ian had been working to improve the Los Angeles Herald's sales channels, spending a lot of money, and now the Los Angeles Herald's sales are expanding rapidly.

Sufficient distribution channels are essential for sufficient sales volume.

In just one month, the Los Angeles Herald has reported on the Charlie Mills case, the Blazer child molestation case, the Lili Marta sex night, and now the Danny Koskerry evil ritual dismemberment case.

In just one month, four major scandals have emerged, with the Charlie Mills case being divided into six hot topics—the relationship between Ian Carr and Kate Beckinsale will also be a hot topic.

This is equivalent to the Los Angeles Herald reporting on ten hot news stories, nearly half of which are exclusives.

This made the Los Angeles Herald famous, and many people started asking where they could buy it. GG sellers were scrambling to get their hands on it—GG was cheap now, and if the Los Angeles Herald could continue to break the news like this, it would mean that GG sellers were getting a great deal.

It can be said that the Los Angeles Herald is currently limited by its sales channels.

Lloyd rubbed his hands excitedly: "It's already in progress, boss, but we're short-staffed right now."

"Then let's hire! Oh, and no Indians, no Jews, and no religious fanatics, you know what I mean."

Lloyd was taken aback: "Are you discriminating against me, boss?"

Ian suddenly looked up at him.

He didn't speak, but his gaze narrowed slightly, and an invisible authority was already evident.

This authority doesn't come from the boss's status, but from the power of a god-level reporter!

Yes, I am discriminating!

Do you want me to admit this?

Lloyd gasped; for the first time, he felt a sense of fear in front of Ian.

The warm sunlight shone on him, but Lloyd inexplicably felt a chill like an autumn breeze, and even the office lights seemed to dim a little.

Lloyd nodded slightly and said in a low voice, "Okay, boss."

Ian's gaze returned to calm.

His gaze passed over Lloyd's body, swept over the busy editors in the distance, and continued, "The newspaper also needs to expand its layout; we need more content and more GG space."

"That's no problem. By the way, we also need more office space. I'm contacting the neighbors next door; they're moving out soon."

"Great, but only for one year. The Los Angeles Herald's expansion will exceed your imagination; this little pond will soon be too small for us! What we need to do now is expand, expand, and keep expanding. Spend all the money we earn; I want to make the Los Angeles Herald a national newspaper within a year!"

The latest novel is first published here!

Old man Lloyd sat down opposite Ian with a sigh: "That's not so easy, boss. You can't get big scoops forever. Those celebrities will be very careful with you."

Ian scoffed, "Celebrity porn? No! That stuff is the same old stuff over and over again. People get tired of it. Everyone has seen it. That stuff is just for entertainment or for trading! What people need is an adrenaline rush! Vendettas, battles, blood, and mangled corpses—that's the kind of stuff that never stops."

He lowered his crossed legs, looked at the old man, and smiled, "Do you know how many murders, shootings, and brawls happen in the United States every year? Gun violence alone exceeds a thousand cases, and there are tens of thousands of other types of murders! And that's just the known ones, not including those undiscovered cases! Violence and bloodshed are the mainstay of this country; pornography is merely an embellishment!"

Lloyd blurted out, "But you won't have that many clues."

Ian chuckled. "That's hard to say. We are the people our time has given us; our fate is intertwined with death and bloodshed! But you know that's not the point?"

He pointed his cigar at the old man: "The real key isn't the events themselves, but the people connected to them! News of an ordinary young black man killing an old lady and stealing twenty dollars isn't worth much, but if it's a powerful figure or a wealthy tycoon who commits those crimes, then that kind of news is valuable! People are the key! They are the core! They are the focus! And what we need to do is add a storyline to the celebrities."

"A wealthy businessman robs an old lady of twenty dollars and then rapes her—that's news! If the unfortunate victim is an old man, that's good news! If the old man later manages to retaliate, that's explosive news! If he even attracts the businessman's daughter and marries her, that's legendary news! But a good journalist doesn't just sit idly by and wait for all this to happen; they actively seek it out and even guide it to happen!"

Lloyd listened intently to Ian's perspective on the news, feeling rather uneasy.

I'm a veteran in the media industry!

How come you're even more extreme, crazy, and perverted than me?

Is the transformation of a spoiled brat really that drastic?

From extreme waste to extreme terror career fanatic?

The old man felt a sense of helplessness at being unable to keep up with the pace of modern young people.

He said speechlessly, "You'll offend a lot of people."

Ian shrugged: "We chase death, and death chases us! We chase trouble, and trouble chases us! This is the fate that journalists must face. As the uncrowned kings, as righteous reporters, this is what we must do!"

Lloyd thought about it seriously for a while, then replied, "I agree with most of what you said, except for one thing."

Which one?

"That's not fair, boss!"

Ian chuckled.

His gaze sharpened slightly, and he said in a low voice, "In this murky and filthy world, we can speak of justice, but we must never enforce it."

(End of this chapter)