Contingency in Lingotto
290Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡee6sTZPaO2
290Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡycqZCyuZRP
290Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡprNBeqW1GY
Paulina Fiore, 43, was discovered dead on the kitchen floor with strange bruises after the cops forcibly entered her flat. As soon as he had a suspicion of homicide, the chief detective demanded an autopsy. But following a thorough investigation, the coroner found that a vitamin C shortage was to blame for the death.
290Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2z3hJSAfmi
Stephanie Brolo, a close friend of Paulina who sources claim, is seen crying and saying, "This is all my fault," in a video that has surfaced on social media.
290Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡco0ipDSNzk
I finish writing the article while drinking my third espresso of the morning at the offices of the biggest newspaper in my city. The golden rule is one coffee per story. I wish I could impart this knowledge to budding journalists, but they all operate in different ways.
290Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ94517n8OEX
I declare to the staff, "I'm sick of tabloid journalism!," after finishing my third random death write-up of the day. I'm ignored by the aspiring writers nearby. They are content to just have a job in the traditional media collapse.
290Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAkpYzYZtTi
According to Giuseppe, our new Chief Editor, articles about either sex or death get 10 times more clicks than any other kind of content. His editing ideas are as direct as a market fish vendor's approach to selling fish. Before I can concentrate on another piece of investigative journalism, I must undergo another month of ambulance chasing. The extensive government corruption exposé I published last month, which took up half the front page of the print magazine, attracted less online attention than a weekend auto accident or a fight in a bar.
290Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡe0kneY77Mb
290Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYwLLcrOYD3
290Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsrsG6sW9UJ
“Max?” Standing in front of my desk is Giuseppe. Why haven't you spoken with your friend yet?
290Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBGza0m8eqM
“Friend? Whose friend is he?
290Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFnBXZBfSLz
“Idiot. The pal who always blames themselves. "Young, appealing, and popular online?" Giuseppe says this, his voice becoming louder with each utterance.
290Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUmnlNjHlPJ
The name Stephanie Brolo Giuseppe sees how well I remember the details. I didn't major in political science to go after the friends of people who had committed suicide or murder.
290Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnVCgZUfR8l
“Do it.” He makes a U-turn and storms off. He turns around halfway across the newsroom and exclaims, "Vitamin C! Concentrate on the vitamin C. Max, nutrition-related stories are beneficial for our advertising.
290Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡd0TZM6XLJ1
Several journalists use their mobile devices to take notes. Even a layperson can predict that they will propose a variety of vitamin-related stories during tomorrow's news conference.
290Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡid6CKt0dDi
I call the pal.
290Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxZa8LdNE9K
Max Serafino is speaking. Are you Bianca?
290Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvkj7CTnqr8
A female voice says, "Yes," but then pauses. Are you working for the police?
290Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡR56oGuix2g
“No. I support the I mention the newspaper's name. The name has a 137-year history and frequently opens doors.
290Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ61KnYZa6sW
"I had assumed that the police would be contacted first. What do you desire?
290Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ83hanQwMY0
In Italy, the police wouldn't waste their time investigating anything as unimportant as a social media statement. Unless there was a politician or famous person involved.
290Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMuvvTbFG22
"I'd want to explain what you mentioned in the popular ItaliaApp video." I bring up the biggest social media app in Italy.
290Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ36wniPtaHp
Bianca complains, "That video is wrecking my life."
290Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPGUZV1YKXr
I regret to inform you of that.
290Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡS2iUFVUhbl
Everyone misconstrued what I said, I guess. Paulina's death had nothing to do with me. Six months prior, she stopped going out and appeared slimmer. She gathers her breath and says, "Perhaps I pushed her in this path. Only twice after she stopped seeing me did I call her. I should have given it more effort and visited her house.
290Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPEPHtgsvPG
“Yes?”
290Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEwzjfqRZCN
She says, "Thanks for calling, but I don't know who you are. It's all too much."
290Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkDXosUAgUH
The mobile device's display abruptly goes crimson. She ends the WhatsApp conversation and logs off.
290Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhPI8lubrdd
"Good job on the interview with Paulina." One of my old pencils gets picked up by Giuseppe, who then gently rubs it between his fingers.
290Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUmGGs1JCBm
"No issue, boss," I was able to create a piece on a buddy who was heartbroken and a big essay about eating disorders using the scant information I was provided.
290Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPVw9NT3V0o
Good pencil. Quixotically, he looks at the Castelli wooden pencil. "Max, this newsroom is not appropriate for someone your age. You, however, always manage to land on your feet.
290Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzZBq7gOX4O
The Turin Tiger, perhaps? I suggest. I'll take that for the byline.
290Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwtyPKfAV70
I can only hope for a nickname that sounds meaningful these days. I remember the Elysian Times, when conventional newspapers, rather than Google, earned all the advertising cash, when I was flown to Rome to interview government ministers.
290Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡngxGu6aAg8
One of the first things a beat reporter does after receiving a story assignment is to get in touch with the family. I find the father of Paulina on social media and introduce myself:
290Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfr2CM14xji
I'm Max Serafino, a journalist with the Turin Register. I want to make sure I have all the facts straight because I'm writing a story on the sad occurrence involving your daughter. Please get in touch with me as soon as possible.
290Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBDyEpRFrtr
I get a response that seems to have been copied and pasted:
290Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNieYJeoxvs
Please don't contact us again; we have nothing to say. A family named The Fiore
290Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡezaKUv37j7
The Turin Register's newsroom is quiet about the Paulina case for a few days when I switch to another breaking subject.
290Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡr3TgFEPND2
290Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRlUcCBANWG
Someone yells, "Max. Line 7!"
290Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFXEXo1NnSm
"City desk, Max Serafino," is my response.
290Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAf9M5qGZi1
A man introduces himself as the father of Paulina Fiore, "our daughter." All of it is our fault. We observed how much time she was wasting on her phone but did nothing to stop her.
290Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvCEY3Xi2Wz
I ask, "Is there a reason you decided to call me today?" "I'm sure it's not your fault, but I would like to hear more," I reply.
290Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPGOeYlxNWJ
The cops asked us questions about the websites she was looking at after unlocking her phone.
290Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ24lZENIzAR
"Do any of the names come to mind?"
290Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzyTuWroocq
"I'm not sure. He said, "But the majority of the articles were about diseases. I've never heard of any of them.
290Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRMNE9VDFmM
Was she in touch with anyone at all?
290Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeGHD5Y1wu6
They did claim that she got the ItaliaApp URLs from friends.
290Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBvjXq0BLJd
Paulina hasn't been outside for months, according to claims from her neighbours. Online friends are required.
290Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡr0zbZOcseO
290Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8zJ7BFkJcb
I make a call to Turin University's Professor Rizzo.
290Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ09GzNMA2EL
Could a patient's dread of sickness, viruses, bacteria, and other things lead to malnutrition? I ask.
290Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnBzvPklSWs
"Mysophobia, often known as germophobia, can make a patient avoid handling food, eat with gloves, and do other things of that nature. Patients with problematic conditions may limit their social interactions and avoid going out in public.
290Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡchyo0eVJGD
"Paulina seemed to eat nothing except boiling pasta."
290Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBQ7rknLtQD
"That sounds feasible, but even in the most severe cases of mysophobia, I've never heard of starvation. Nearly every other psychological impulse pales in comparison to the power of hunger.
290Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJcdUuYPvAA
The urge to survive, though, isn't it even stronger? I speculate about the potential nature of the existential danger.
290Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgtTzNR5Ygn
290Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiCuXv6IeOf
290Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyBOfyQN8Ro
How was it possible for Paulina to totally avoid something as common as vitamin C? I provide the Chief Editor with an update on my casework.
290Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeTHmugF4Bc
The elements of a good human interest tale are present here—food, terror, and a female victim. Giuseppe appears content. "Continue your research, but stay away from any critical remarks about ItaliaApp. They provide 30% of the traffic we receive.
290Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8i9N19eRhq
290Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡebkSyEcZEU
I get along with a lot of people in our city. When a listener is attentive, people love to talk about themselves. especially if they believe they are in an authoritative position.
290Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhziRVe5kVA
Bruno and I both graduated from university together, but he took a different, more global path. After spending 15 years working in Silicon Valley, he moved back to our town and was quickly hired by the biggest social media firm in Italy. a glimpse of the life I might have had.
290Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡModd22JLVo
I decide to arrange up a romantic supper with a 41-year-old man instead of having dinner with my girlfriend Gabrielle.
290Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGRDyOTE06n
290Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfIhzXVcNq7
I walk toward the rectangular mass of iron lattice that is the old Fiat factory in Lingotto on the south side of the city on a clear, dry evening as dusk falls over Turin as it sits in its valley between the towering Italian Alps on one side and the rolling hills that rise up from the Po river on the other. The nearly kilometer-long factory has been converted into offices and a ground-floor shopping centre. High-tech startups now frequently come from the United States, France, and Germany.
290Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZfK6TXUu3I
People are now crammed into the structure that served as the city's hub when Turin manufactured half of all the autos in Europe as they work to understand how to sell affordable handbags online. The inhabitants of Turin, unlike earlier generations, are at least no longer doomed to a life of arduous labour.
290Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSEPk5ArVCF
Paulina lived next to this structure.
290Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBAHDP3bnP7
290Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJf6KjqSKOg
I requested a quiet table at the Osteria del Fiat. When the host directs us to a very packed dining room, I am let down. We pass a sizable space with just one guest table present. I identify a former local politician among the group of well-dressed men. Power brokers want not to be overheard in the hidden corners of the city.
290Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8Padi8jFwq
We complete our own dinner an hour later, and Bruno takes a sip of the Dolcetto d'Alba we have been sipping. We can now get to the heart of the meal after the customary introductions and the sharing of information about mutual friends. I describe how Paulina was using his employer's app more than 50 times every day.
290Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡts1wN0AKdC
"At ItaliaApp, we prioritize repeat visitors. Some readers we seduce with glitz, while others we frighten into addiction.
290Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡX53yfN0Iik
That's manipulation, right?
290Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpW1MH1GmL0
"We are providing what the public wants. They will discover hatred if they so want. They will also find love if they desire it.
290Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzY9TXmKXp9
"How about advancing human rights and democratic principles?"
290Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCssfpYIEZi
"That's just academic rhetoric for pupils. You know that.”
290Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGkEd57xPjj
Paulina Fiore passed away after consuming false information provided to her by ItaliaApp.
290Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJAQItkX7Oi
If someone can't handle online news, it's not our problem. Someone else will send it to them if we don't.
290Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNUzEYe6yxv
I comment that you have developed a very American way of thinking. Although it's frustrating that my old friend doesn't view the world the same way we once did, I've learned to embrace people's differences, whether they are political or not. I continue, "The police appear to be quite interested in her social media past."
290Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡb0DadPLvvi
Bruno asks me with fresh interest, "Has the police department launched an inquiry?"
Perhaps the authors of the misleading news are to blame for her death rather than ItaliaApp. I'll have a look at it and shine some light on the fraudulent new producers if you could email me her browsing history, the one the cops are looking at. That might enable you to respond to bad coverage sooner. Of course, I'll keep your name off of it.
290Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoyPwyuVBTf
"I'll consider it," Bruno concentrates on his glass of red wine.
290Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsJ8uPN3f5O
Although Bruno and I may not agree on everything, we have enough common ground that we can be confident in our ability to uphold each other's interests. Paulina's browsing history is sent to me via an encrypted messaging app the following afternoon.
290Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡin1qHgjv7g
I begin to click on the links:
290Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6nlaK978Ln
the ongoing influx of illegal immigrants into Italy.
290Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9BNnc9K9SO
Covid ascends via ventilation shafts.
290Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1biVifdk5V
How Elevator Buttons Spread Disease in Seven Ways
290Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxjoRBu2Lqx
The first patient with monkey pox in Italy is photographed by paparazzi.
290Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5SXARp3lZp
MonkeyPox-infected vegetables picked by immigrants and sold in our supermarkets.
290Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfo9pbQFHRn
I peruse months' worth of information concerning fatal diseases and how to prevent them. Government efforts to counteract fake news have been unsuccessful.
290Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFEsfm4cQvb
My heart skips a beat as I see our name among the thousands of links I scan.
290Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtFvB6OkKj7
"Never believe the government when it comes to monkey pox. See the Turin Register articles that are attached.
290Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ196bcayQc2
I click the link and am greeted by a series of well-known headlines:
290Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkX6WoeFQxH
Max Serafino's article, "The Dark Hand Behind the Government Reshuffle,"
290Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡq9XlanBuUD
Health Authorities allegedly covered up patient malpractice claims, according to Max Serafino
290Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3Anf4URAsp
Misguided Pandemic Recommendations: Max Serafino
290Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZtkblOapaa
Turin Government Corruption Exposed by Max Serafino
290Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡN3ISFxyeCk
Paulina was reading other articles that frequently linked to pieces my colleagues and I have written, warning her not to believe medical professionals or government health advice.
290Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5GyCpw6VG2
I fix my attention on the pencil that Giuseppe had earlier left on my desk. I hear someone approaching from behind and feel hands on my shoulders.
290Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgwnVQm4mQk
"And you believed you were superior to all of us, didn't you," Giuseppe's voice continues.
290Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSlxxMQvd1W
Is is all...? I'm about to pose a straightforward query. however, I stop. I have a limited number of other job options and bills to pay.
290Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3iEZt3ifRx
I clear my head of useless self-doubt. News is not created by journalists; we merely report it.
290Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcggqIFhcCi
I click the mouse to bring up the police bulletin for today and suggest to the Chief Editor which events we might cover for our respected 137-year-old newspaper.
290Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBA2R9Y4AL8
The following morning, a young journalist who usually sits next to me enters the newsroom and triumphantly greets coworkers. He receives a thumbs-up from Giuseppe. When I look at the Turin Register's most popular articles, I see that "Clickbait News Causes Scurvy in Italy's Auto Capital" is currently trending all across the country.
290Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPVIi9RdOxQ
I start dining with Bruno every night. Bruno reminds me that a Political Science professor at the University had said, "Every company is selling a commodity, and at its foundation, the news industry sells fear." We talk about our old school escapades and the state of the nation.
290Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡO5tqn8BBu2
The number of maltrunition cases like Paulina's is expected to increase over the coming months. Bruno starts to eat more and more, I notice. My hunger has disappeared.
290Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQ6hglUTMtc
290Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyWxy2XEGLn
290Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡccNjENEq0t
THE END
290Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzdK35guTWd
Follow for more!
290Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡU5qYOfUdzL
