“But,” Ash said.
The CEO waited, her eyebrows high above the rims of her glasses. “But what?” she said finally. “Privacy? No one cares about privacy. Not if you give them a good product in exchange.” She sighed, like she was sad about it. “Some people think they care, but they don’t. Not enough to do anything about it. Right? Let’s be serious. Do you think your ‘investigative reporting’ will move people to action?”
The girls stood there, unable to answer.
“That’s what I thought.” Maria Van Ness took off her glasses and cleaned them on her scarf. “Now, I was going to make you delete this recording you’ve been taking of me without my permission. But you know what? I don’t think I need to bother. Put it on your little show if you want. Who’s going to watch it? Who’s going to care?” She swung her head back to move her hair from her eyes, then put her glasses back on and stood tall. “Well, I must be going. Bernard!”
The dog came running and barked happily. “Good boy,” Maria Van Ness said, petting him and offering him a treat from her pocket. But Bernard didn’t take it. He stood very still, concentrating. “Oh, you haven’t gone yet?” Maria Van Ness said to him. “Well, hurry it up, then. Do your business.”
He did. He was a big dog, and his business made a big pile. The size of the piles that had been left all over the sidewalks of Federal Hill the past few months. The same piles that the girls had narrowly avoided stepping in and had joked about investigating countless times.
“Thanks for the interview,” Maria Van Ness said cheerily to the reporters. “And thanks for using Van Ness Media!”
She walked briskly around the path and disappeared down the hill. Bernard trotted after her, his poo still in the park.
CHAPTER 28
ANALYSIS:
Video Evidence Solid
After they got over their initial shock, the team rushed to Brielle’s house, which was closest. It was downhill, and the wind was at their backs, so they practically sprinted there.
“Did we get it all?” the anchor asked once they’d raced inside and closed the door. “Please tell me we got it all.”
Maya held the phone with sweaty hands. “Four minutes . . .” She pressed play. Both Ash and Maria Van Ness were clearly visible. Their voices were quiet but clear, except for a few short gusts of wind that, thankfully, didn’t drown out any of the incriminating evidence.
Ash puffed out a big breath, wiped her forehead with her hand, and sank onto Brielle’s couch. She felt like she’d just completed the Baltimore marathon.
Brielle sat next to her. “I can clean up the sound and make it louder,” she assured them, panting. “I can even add captions too. I just need to find a way to edit it.”
“Well,” Maya said, a smile playing at her lips, “Maria Van Ness said she’d like to see us make our show using some other software.”
The three girls looked at one another, then burst out laughing. There was something darkly funny about using a competitor’s software to bring down Maria Van Ness. And this video would definitely bring her down . . . just as soon as they could bring it to air.
CHAPTER 29
Reporters Seek Approval, Support
That night, as contractually obligated, all three Renegade Reporters planned to share the Van Ness Media story with their permission-granting adults. Brielle still had the rough version of the episode that she’d downloaded before getting locked out of her account, so she emailed that file to the other two, and Ash emailed the video of their encounter with Maria Van Ness in the park.
Ash was anxious to show her parents as soon as possible, but Abba was working late and Dad was busy with the little ones, so the anchor had to wait, jittery with nerves and anticipation, until long past her bedtime.
Finally, with Beckett asleep and Sadie having eventually given up on listening from the stairs, Abba came home, and Dad warmed his dinner, and Ash pressed play, first on the rough edit, then on the new footage. She stood behind them while they watched it, her foot tapping nervously.
When the video ended, Abba gave a low whistle. “This is serious, Ash.”
“I know.”
“Very thorough reporting,” Dad said. “Research, a test case, explanations from experts . . . The hard work shows.”
“Thanks. We have to incorporate the footage from the park, and we should probably add something about Van Ness Dream Journal now too, but I’m not sure how we can because we’re all locked out of our Van Ness Media accounts.” She told him about the error messages and the meeting with the principal and the claim that they’d violated the terms of service. “He wouldn’t even listen to us,” Ash said. “But maybe he will once our episode goes live, especially now that we have this interview with Maria Van Ness.”
“Oh, I’m sure he’ll be hearing from a lot of people once word gets out,” Abba said. “You kids have to use this software at school, and parents have no idea what’s going on.”
“How did you figure out what’s going on?” Dad asked. “I knew you were doing something about Van Ness Media, but I figured it was more . . . neutral.”
“Yeah, that was our original plan. But that day we went there, Maya and I . . . um . . .” Ash took a deep breath. “We sort of walked in on a meeting about this stuff. By accident.”
Abba widened his eyes and leaned toward her. Dad closed his eyes and shook his head.
“We didn’t mean to,” Ash went on. “Honest. But they were looking at a map of Federal Hill with little dots on it, and talking about user profiles and tracking locations, and they clearly didn’t want us to know what they were doing. I guess we sort of invaded their privacy.” Ash gave an awkward smile. “But then we started investigating and found out they’ve been invading ours.”
“I’ll say.” Dad’s face took on a look that Ash couldn’t quite read.
Now Abba had the same inscrutable expression as Dad. “Ashley,” he said seriously, and Ash felt sure she was in trouble. Again. At least this day had prepared her for it. But to her surprise, Abba’s face broke into a smile. “We’re very proud of you.”
Ash’s body was still tense, braced for a punishment. “You are?”
“Yes. It takes real courage to do this sort of work. And it will take real courage for you and your friends to put it on the air.”
“But you’ll let us?” Ash asked, crossing her fingers on both hands.
Dad glanced at Abba, who nodded. “Absolutely. It’s important that you tell people what’s going on.”
Ash loved her dads so much, she wanted to eat them. She threw herself into their arms for a big hug. “Thank you,” she said. This had been a long, emotional day, and it was catching up to her. She felt like she could fall asleep this very moment, now that she knew she had her dads’ support. “You’re not mad that we barged in on that meeting?” she confirmed, stifling a yawn.
“Some of the biggest discoveries start with pure luck,” Abba said.
“But, Ashley,” Dad said pointedly, looking his daughter in the eye. “You really need to learn how to knock.”
CHAPTER 30
Underground News Aims Beyond Basement
On Monday at lunch, the Renegade Reporters’ table was positively buzzing. Brielle’s parents had been so proud of her, they’d bought her professional software called Final Cut Pro. She’d downloaded it Friday night and spent the whole weekend editing The Underground News. Ash and Maya had spent the weekend in the studio recording Ash’s anchor spots, which meant Brielle just needed to add them in, and the Van Ness Media episode would be ready to air.
“Is Final Cut Pro better than Van Ness Movie Maker?” Ash asked.
“It’s so slick,” Brielle said dreamily. “Our episode is looking amazing.”
“Maya’s family can’t wait to share it with everyone they know,” Ash said, elbowing her best friend.
Maya looked down at the table, bu
t she smiled so big, it seemed like rays of sunshine could be radiating from her face. “My mom called Dev to tell him about it. She said, ‘Have you heard about your sister, the activist?’ ”
“I’ll stay up all night adding those anchor spots, if I have to,” Brielle promised. “The sooner people know what Maria Van Ness is doing, the better. That woman is evil.”
Ash didn’t think it’d be possible for Maya to look any happier, but somehow, she did. “You mean you don’t want companies tracking what you do online anymore?” Maya asked.
Brielle shrugged one shoulder. “I still don’t think it’s a big deal that they tell advertisers about me,” she clarified. “But Maria Van Ness is trying to hide it, so she clearly thinks it’s bad. And she lets her dog poop all over the sidewalk and doesn’t pick it up. The world deserves to know.”
The girls laughed. But then Ash got serious. “Do you think what Maria Van Ness said is true?” she asked her friends between bites of fried chicken. “That no one will watch it or care? We don’t exactly have a ton of subscribers.”
“I was thinking . . .” Maya took a sip of her juice, then continued. “Maybe we can send this episode somewhere bigger. Like one of the Baltimore TV channels, or even CNN.”
“They probably wouldn’t bother watching our clip, though,” Brielle said, “because we’re kids.”
“We can at least try,” Maya said. “Unless you can think of a news show with lots of viewers that won’t care if we’re kids.”
Just then, a raucous clatter came from the boys’ table. They’d been using their lunch trays like Jenga blocks, and the whole tower had collapsed.
Ash looked at Damion, Khalil, and Harry, then at her team. It pained her to say it, but it was for the greater good. “There is one show that has three hundred viewers every morning,” she said. “And I happen to know the lead anchor.”
CHAPTER 31
Anchor Offers Exclusive
Harry stared at the screen. He pressed his hands into his eyes, then stared at the screen again. “How’d you get this interview?” he asked.
“She just happened to come to Federal Hill Park while we were there,” Ash said.
Harry snorted. “Lucky break.”
“I know.”
It was Tuesday after school. Brielle had finished the episode the night before, like she’d promised, and everyone agreed it was ready to air.
Brielle had wanted to take it straight to Ms. Sullivan, but Ash knew how important it was for a lead anchor to have control over his or her reporting. If she wanted Harry on board, she needed to go to Harry directly. Even if it meant offering her rival the scoop of a lifetime. So after the bell rang, Ash had stopped Harry in the hall outside their classroom, before he could go to The News at Nine.
“Well,” Harry said, leaning against the wall, “you weren’t lying. You got the bigger story on Van Ness Media. I guess you win.”
“It’s not a competition,” Ash said.
Harry gave her a look.
“Okay, it is a competition. But no one’s winning right now. Except Van Ness Media. They know everything about all of us, and no one knows anything about them.”
“Well, you’ve got proof now,” Harry said. “You can report this on your show.”
“I can, but not many people watch my show.”
“So?”
“The whole school watches yours.”
Harry drummed his fingers against the wall, finally catching on. “You’re offering me this story?”
Ash nodded. “No one else has seen it yet. I’m offering you the exclusive.”
The anchor’s eyes widened. “You want me to air this on The News at Nine? Which is sponsored by Van Ness Media?”
The other anchor chanced a smile. “They kind of deserve it, don’t you think?”
Harry let out a low whistle. “I don’t know if Ms. Sullivan will approve it. Or did you want me to do it without telling her?”
Ash was impressed with his nerve, but not with his idea. She knew better than anyone that Ms. Sullivan didn’t like surprises on The News at Nine. “Don’t do that. You don’t want to get kicked off the show.”
“I doubt she’ll let us report it,” Harry said, thinking.
Ash held her breath. Harry wanted to do it, she could tell, but he was nervous. Now it was time to seal the deal. If her rival anchor was anything like herself, she knew exactly how. “Just ask her,” Ash said casually. “If she says no, we’ll take it to CNN.”
Sure enough, he took the bait. “You’re offering this story to me before CNN?” Harry asked incredulously.
Ash shrugged. “For now,” she said coolly. “But we can’t sit on it forever. How about you let me know by tomorrow?”
But Harry had already decided. “All right,” he said. “Let’s go talk to Ms. Sullivan.”
Yes! Ash thought. She said, “Go ahead. I’ll wait here.”
“No,” Harry said. “You have to come with me.”
“You’re lead anchor.”
“It’s your story.”
“But I offered it to you.”
“It’s on your phone!” Harry pressed it into her hands, walked to the stairs, and waited. “Come on.”
Ash dragged her feet along, her stomach in knots. The last time she’d talked to Ms. Sullivan, it was right after the first News at Nine broadcast of the year. When Ms. Sullivan had told her to be a team player or get off the team. For weeks, Ash had been angry at her, furious that a teacher she’d looked up to for so long—the person who’d inspired Ash’s love of reporting to begin with—had let her down. But as she forced herself toward the studio now, Ash realized it was the opposite. Ms. Sullivan hadn’t let her down; she’d let Ms. Sullivan down. First with the Dancing Gym Teacher, and then with her attitude. What had she said back in September? That the show was bad without her, and that since she wasn’t lead anchor, she was going to quit? She must have sounded like a spoiled brat. And now here she was, facing Ms. Sullivan for the first time since then—with a negative story about The News at Nine’s sponsor. What would Ms. Sullivan think of her now? I can just quit journalism again, Ash thought. That’d be easier than showing my face in the studio.
But she had major news that she needed Harry to report. It was a wonder he was willing to help her at all—she hadn’t exactly been nice to him the past few weeks. The least she could do was swallow her shame and help him help her.
The News at Nine crew was sitting around the big tables, planning their next show. The scene was so familiar, it hit Ash like a gust of wind, almost knocking her over. Ms. Sullivan looked up and saw her. “Hello, Ashley,” she said, cautiously friendly, like Ash was a kitten that might scratch.
“Hi,” Ash said.
“Ash brought us a story to report,” Harry said. “With exclusive footage.”
“Is that so?” said Ms. Sullivan, head cocked. “Well, let me see it.”
From the corner of the room, Brielle gave Ash a thumbs-up with one hand and a fingers-crossed with the other. Ash handed her phone to Ms. Sullivan, who stepped out into the hallway to watch the video in private. Ash stood in the doorway, staring at Ms. Sullivan’s back and praying that she would find the reporting halfway decent.
When the episode ended, the teacher let out a big breath and looked Ash in the eye, her face still unreadable. “Why did you bring this to The News at Nine?” she asked.
It felt like a test. Ash gave the truthful answer, hoping it was also correct. “Because my show doesn’t have that many subscribers, and I think it’s important that people know what’s going on.”
Ms. Sullivan blinked at her.
“I’m not trying to get revenge or anything,” Ash added nervously. “For real. I deserved to be kicked off The News at Nine. And Harry’s a pretty good anchor. I mean, a very good anchor. The show is very good too. It keeps everyone at school informed.
And I really want them to be informed about what Van Ness Media is doing.” Then she made herself stop talking and breathe.
Ms. Sullivan handed Ash’s phone back to her. “Coach Kelly told me you sent her a very nice note.”
“Yeah,” Ash said, her face getting warm. “I apologized for invading her privacy.”
The corners of Ms. Sullivan’s mouth were inching upward. “Do you want to report this on The News at Nine yourself?”
One little question, and Ash’s heart caught. She felt a physical pull toward the anchor chair. But she resisted it. “Harry’s lead anchor,” she said. “He should do it.”
Ms. Sullivan’s lips were now in a full smile. “You made this news episode all by yourself?”
“With Maya and Brielle. We started it using Van Ness Movie Maker.”
That made her teacher laugh. Ash laughed too.
“I’m proud of you, Ashley. You’re an excellent reporter. But you’re an even more excellent person.”
Ash couldn’t help herself. She rushed up to Ms. Sullivan and wrapped her in a hug. The teacher laughed and hugged her back.
Harry, Damion, and Brielle stuck their heads into the hallway. “Does this mean we’re going to run the story?” Brielle asked.
“If the anchors are up to it,” Ms. Sullivan said. “It’s not very good publicity for our sponsor.”
“I stepped in dog poo twice last week,” Damion said. “Let’s make that lady pay.”
CHAPTER 32
Breaking News at Nine
“Good morning, John Dos Passos Elementary. Today is Wednesday, October thirtieth. The cold lunch is peanut butter and jelly. The hot lunch is black bean burrito bowl. I’m Harry E. Levin.”
“I’m Damion Skinner. And you’re watching . . .”
The Renegade Reporters Page 13