Looking up at the boss, with her big diamond earrings and empty sanctimony, Natalie thought Bibb seemed not so much dangerous as ridiculous. It was suddenly clear that Matt was right: Bibb’s power came from intimidating her underlings. Having spoken the truth and survived, Natalie felt invigorated, emboldened. “Why wasn’t Jazzmyn in this morning?” she asked, sitting forward. “You know where she was last night, right?”

“You better watch yourself, young lady,” Bibb hissed.

“With the Chief,” Natalie continued, ignoring Bibb’s warning. “He offered her an anchor job, then took her back to his hotel. And now she’s gone. What do you think happened at that hotel?”

“You mind your own business,” Bibb was pointing a finger and glaring.

“I thought truth telling was my business,” Natalie said, eyes locked onto Bibb, determined to shake her boss’s veneer of righteousness. “I bet you also know about Hal. About the way he stalks the girls on the news desk. Harasses them.” This felt good. “He’s tried it with me. So did the Chief, he made a pass at me last night. Isn’t it your job as management to stop that? Surely you feel some kind of responsibility as a woman in news—”

Like a coiled snake, Bibb hissed, “Don’t you dare call me that. I’m not a woman. I’m a journalist.”

The words hung in the air as Natalie sat frozen in surprise. Bibb’s phone rang and she lunged for it.

“Yes, she’s here. I’m putting you on speakerphone now.” Bibb hit a button and the sound of breathing came across the phone.

“Good evening, ladies. My wife has a no-calls policy on Saturday evening. Only emergencies, so let’s make this quick.” It was the Chief, sounding surprisingly calm and cheerful. “So, we had quite a little mistake on air. That was an unfortunate development.”

And that’s an understatement.

“Chief, I’m sorry.” Natalie said, knowing what she had to do: own her part of this, stay in the Chief’s good graces. “I always get a second source, but under pressure to break the news first, I ignored my better judgment.”

“I understand, Natalie.” The Chief sounded untroubled, sympathetic. “The truth is, it was very good TV. Highly dramatic. And it showed that at ATN we are dedicated to getting it right, eventually. In fact, I’ve asked PR to encourage key media reporters to watch your segment at the White House, and highlight how quickly and transparently we corrected your error. I wouldn’t be surprised if we get a good bit of positive press out of this, actually.”

Natalie was gripped with a new anxiety. The network was encouraging coverage of her moment of ignominy?