Fake News. It’s the term of the now. None of us know what to believe anymore, nor why we should. But journalists are still out there, risking their lives to relay the truth…but will anyone ever believe them? On this episode of Smirk, Aaron’s story leads into a lengthy discussion on the current environment of news and opinions taking over our airwaves. Can you trust the news anymore?
Welcome to Smirk. A podcast that covers society and culture through a storytelling lens. Part creative writing, part discussion, and always interesting. Each week our hosts brings a story to the show, a story they wrote themselves, which is immediately followed by discussion on the author’s moral or theme. These stories can cover any topic the host wants to discuss, it can be lighthearted or more serious. No one but the author knows if these tales are truth or fiction, and part of the fun is guessing while you’re listening before the reality is made clear. We want to hear from you! If you want to share YOUR story, join the conversation by writing in to mystory@smirkpodcast.com, and include your moral, or you can let us guess at it. This is the podcast that looks at truth, fiction, and reality. With a Smirk. Don’t forget to subscribe to Smirk and share the show with your friends!
Want to read Aaron’s story “The Assassination of Fake News” in full? Think you can identify the moral or theme for this episode? Read it below, and then take a listen to the podcast.
The Assassination of Fake News
It has been several months since his radio station had burned down, but after the complete rebuild a few weeks back, Hamilton was just happy to be back on the air. Today was his first day, and it felt glorious to throw his voice back on the airwaves.
As he reclined in his favorite chair, relaxing in his favorite sweats and waiting anxiously for the soccer match to start, his place in all of this began to crystalize.
For years, death threats and chaos had surrounded him. He had been challenging the status quo for some time, pointing a finger at hypocrisy and what he considered criminal behavior in regards to his community’s local politicians.
“Politicians. Jesus”, he thought. His mind immediately calculated all of the bribes and kickbacks he willingly exposed on a daily basis over the past few years, all acts from these supposed representatives of his fellow citizens. “Criminals with classier ties”, he thought.
He remembered how scared many of these politicians became as he exposed their lies daily, how the threats had increased, and especially how the danger amplified for him and his staff. Culminating in the torching of his beloved radio station. Thankfully, no one was hurt, but that was nothing more than luck.
Yet that is not all Hamilton considered, he also reflected on the lives and minds he was changing, opening the door to the truth. He wondered if those “politicians” had ever told the truth in any of their campaign rallies. Even as they tried to discredit him and destroy his reputation, Hamilton knew he was doing it for the right reasons. Because the people need to know. They DESERVE to know.
“Damn criminals”, he said aloud, just as the soccer game began.
As the first kicks were unleashed, Hamilton heard the obnoxiously loud motorcycles outside, whizzing up and down his street like juvenile stuntman wannabes. But he had been waiting for this game all year, he wasn’t about to tell these kids to get off his lawn, so to speak. He’s not that old, not yet.
Whoosh, the ball went through the net! Goal! Score! Hamilton started screaming and bouncing in his chair with righteous enthusiasm. His excitement was so palpable, he did not even hear the initial round of bullets as they broke the glass in his living room window. It was only when the first bullet struck his gut that he realized he was being assassinated.
Hamilton struggled to get up, but not before a second and third bullet penetrated his body, and he realized his struggle was coming to an end. As he fell back in the chair, the fourth bullet ripped through his chest, just as he heard the motorcycles fade off into the distance.
Hamilton’s breathing slowed, he knew this was one threat he would not make it back from. His mind was slowing down, yet still somehow racing. Contemplating all of the lies he exposed, were they worth it? Taking down a few politicians, did that truly equate to a human life?
As his eyes began to close, and his soul prepared for a vacation, Hamilton remembered those lives he changed. The truth is already out there, and his people now will know just how true it is with his passing. This was Hamilton’s final thought, as his life passed on.
And when the police arrived on the scene, they were astonished at what they found. Hamilton lay dead in his recliner, riddled with bullets. Blood and glass were everywhere. But Hamilton, his face, it somehow wore a smile.