Contingency in Lingotto
371Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFZDe6WxpTv
371Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtTRi8Z543b
371Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1PKsS6i1WQ
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.
371Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdWNtucO93M
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.
371Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOX3ClofAhy
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.
371Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZMIcCoHlcu
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.
371Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3Iq9sj8CTX
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.
371Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKcBrLBBXfE
371Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡu61J8zGr9Z
371Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡG5dA5JlFAN
“Max?” Standing in front of my desk is Giuseppe. Why haven't you spoken with your friend yet?
371Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYp2jaOiHnw
“Friend? Whose friend is he?
371Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrFbNKxzl6Q
“Idiot. The pal who always blames themselves. "Young, appealing, and popular online?" Giuseppe says this, his voice becoming louder with each utterance.
371Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡywvrGOoRPw
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.
371Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUK2QoRnwy2
“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.
371Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡechRUDI1vl
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.
371Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhlEnqSKRyv
I call the pal.
371Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtzkzREdVbj
Max Serafino is speaking. Are you Bianca?
371Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6RGStHN5Pr
A female voice says, "Yes," but then pauses. Are you working for the police?
371Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbQYoi3nCbE
“No. I support the I mention the newspaper's name. The name has a 137-year history and frequently opens doors.
371Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡywfAEFUqJX
"I had assumed that the police would be contacted first. What do you desire?
371Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3UVTvPumML
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.
371Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1G3mEh2EAN
"I'd want to explain what you mentioned in the popular ItaliaApp video." I bring up the biggest social media app in Italy.
371Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuHdaC351Zq
Bianca complains, "That video is wrecking my life."
371Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoVv3HySjHo
I regret to inform you of that.
371Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcd7k4NvWKl
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.
371Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡslX1WEeYcr
“Yes?”
371Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlxtrnWv2D5
She says, "Thanks for calling, but I don't know who you are. It's all too much."
371Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrHdpXWgKrY
The mobile device's display abruptly goes crimson. She ends the WhatsApp conversation and logs off.
371Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡx61nWsGxfM
"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.
371Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNXGQshfGEs
"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.
371Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRND0dVsRAa
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.
371Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3qhWlBIoBN
The Turin Tiger, perhaps? I suggest. I'll take that for the byline.
371Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNcfbVnpJsj
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.
371Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhPGHIspTGA
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:
371Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNVOR9l6350
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.
371Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdbF2JDdh9C
I get a response that seems to have been copied and pasted:
371Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6w7hT8O7ao
Please don't contact us again; we have nothing to say. A family named The Fiore
371Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtQcYiZeTBQ
The Turin Register's newsroom is quiet about the Paulina case for a few days when I switch to another breaking subject.
371Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZCGvqc1w1L
371Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9Acquyw2uS
Someone yells, "Max. Line 7!"
371Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡL8PUgIKcml
"City desk, Max Serafino," is my response.
371Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWS9uDe7dko
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.
371Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ28ijVjzqfq
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.
371Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHULjCcLfVv
The cops asked us questions about the websites she was looking at after unlocking her phone.
371Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSrmsn1uuoD
"Do any of the names come to mind?"
371Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡT2TstLB5qm
"I'm not sure. He said, "But the majority of the articles were about diseases. I've never heard of any of them.
371Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCt7EO6ZRpb
Was she in touch with anyone at all?
371Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwWZdwkwGhp
They did claim that she got the ItaliaApp URLs from friends.
371Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡk9kaxSEoXA
Paulina hasn't been outside for months, according to claims from her neighbours. Online friends are required.
371Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡU6qisItJZn
371Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQZNDWN3H3L
I make a call to Turin University's Professor Rizzo.
371Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡh6z2hdK6MG
Could a patient's dread of sickness, viruses, bacteria, and other things lead to malnutrition? I ask.
371Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWPJbq78YWr
"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.
371Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuI0r3eW8mT
"Paulina seemed to eat nothing except boiling pasta."
371Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0U5m1nCNoF
"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.
371Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtnL71RE9YO
The urge to survive, though, isn't it even stronger? I speculate about the potential nature of the existential danger.
371Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAfTkfLKRkl
371Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGwb4tpM6u8
371Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9eBPBvQs5R
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.
371Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsV4rnVa9Lz
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.
371Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsLrnodjLzt
371Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVlLFmG6CYR
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.
371Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSG1wiVzC2S
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.
371Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLfxBpqpXVH
I decide to arrange up a romantic supper with a 41-year-old man instead of having dinner with my girlfriend Gabrielle.
371Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ95o1bO792t
371Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1kpmqttIYM
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.
371Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ73A3vMYr66
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.
371Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPyxSKtzEt6
Paulina lived next to this structure.
371Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlHNFUHw5LT
371Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfpBG9w1t4M
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.
371Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKL52RPNll5
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.
371Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqCtASjMnaa
"At ItaliaApp, we prioritize repeat visitors. Some readers we seduce with glitz, while others we frighten into addiction.
371Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOy45nz8BfL
That's manipulation, right?
371Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡb7deeCX8Nf
"We are providing what the public wants. They will discover hatred if they so want. They will also find love if they desire it.
371Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBdvq11347m
"How about advancing human rights and democratic principles?"
371Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7RskozS4xw
"That's just academic rhetoric for pupils. You know that.”
371Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCI1jRaU08u
Paulina Fiore passed away after consuming false information provided to her by ItaliaApp.
371Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfkcX7CLjDo
If someone can't handle online news, it's not our problem. Someone else will send it to them if we don't.
371Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIl28PhdAHd
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."
371Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyK3mvpnOpq
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.
371Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOWfW39K3su
"I'll consider it," Bruno concentrates on his glass of red wine.
371Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwGBbueBbLE
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.
371Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVN2buykFRm
I begin to click on the links:
371Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKOZkwB1jb5
the ongoing influx of illegal immigrants into Italy.
371Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZhGhiAoqid
Covid ascends via ventilation shafts.
371Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBVTEkhmCa7
How Elevator Buttons Spread Disease in Seven Ways
371Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnGCDWpz4y6
The first patient with monkey pox in Italy is photographed by paparazzi.
371Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡT0IzDNQUQd
MonkeyPox-infected vegetables picked by immigrants and sold in our supermarkets.
371Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4Pb13oseyb
I peruse months' worth of information concerning fatal diseases and how to prevent them. Government efforts to counteract fake news have been unsuccessful.
371Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSqIJAIIMkV
My heart skips a beat as I see our name among the thousands of links I scan.
371Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfCOgXOwA3Z
"Never believe the government when it comes to monkey pox. See the Turin Register articles that are attached.
371Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAaLAceiNdB
I click the link and am greeted by a series of well-known headlines:
371Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8nlyhiZFxt
Max Serafino's article, "The Dark Hand Behind the Government Reshuffle,"
371Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhQhrpufov3
Health Authorities allegedly covered up patient malpractice claims, according to Max Serafino
371Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡe5o063yMSS
Misguided Pandemic Recommendations: Max Serafino
371Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJwoST3uJ7Y
Turin Government Corruption Exposed by Max Serafino
371Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpVKPHXByO0
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.
371Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvkpchRkEUy
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.
371Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4ryGH4DKiM
"And you believed you were superior to all of us, didn't you," Giuseppe's voice continues.
371Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQm8rSyP8CI
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.
371Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaHVY14dUT6
I clear my head of useless self-doubt. News is not created by journalists; we merely report it.
371Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHWBhOkj27W
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.
371Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ49Kk33gJiN
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.
371Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjm3AxdAGWO
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.
371Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlQiyGrkhGL
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.
371Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡm1GcjD1N28
371Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGCkhqrg2bv
371Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3BQOQleiY9
THE END
371Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMHBLM4EOj6
Follow for more!
371Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡk2L680BZdP
