"You," she said crisply, "are confusing news with the Sun. News is a description of events, presented with human intelligence in a manner to interest and stimulate other human intelligence. The Sun is whatever that monstrous washing-machine decides is proper to have happened, presented in a manner to interest no one except other washing-machines."
"Very glib," I replied. "But at least you will admit that news is important. Then doesn't it seem sensible to give it the same protection that government has? Protection from error and stupidity and corruption?"
"Protection?" she wailed. "It's so protected nobody sees it—nobody sees it—nobody cares!
"That hairy old item you read off the wall. You're right, I wouldn't use it today any more than the Sun would. But suppose Little Irma there had been killed by the runaway. We'd both print it.... I'd tell the story, a story that might make just one more parent careful that day and save one more child. The Sun would put it in a list, something like:
DEATHS, Accidental
MILBRY—Littlefield Irma: 4 dau/ M&M Adoniram L-, 324 Elm, struck by wagon Elm at S. Main.
"... and that would be that for a little blonde-haired, blue-eyed, four-year-old statistic! Why, suppose...."
"Supposition!" I interrupted. "You can't waste time with supposition! People are entitled to facts. They get facts in the Sun. They know that every item in that sheet is written, checked and checked again by the special media circuits of Congris we call WPA. Those same cybernetic banks that make the laws, trace the lawbreakers, do the thousands of things that make our civilization possible, they filter, sift and sort the news as it comes in from the Scoops.
"A Fireman reports on a fire, a Policeman reports on a crime, a Doctor a death or a citizen any important event. Every bit goes to the Greeley and if it's important enough, comes out in the next regional, national or world Sun. All the Fireman or citizen or whatever has to do, is press his ID tag to the sensor, for identity, veracity and authority audit, and have a Second there for corroboration.
"It's the news, straight news, all the news that's important enough to print, and written so it can be understood...."
"By a washing-machine," Sara broke in. "Sterilized, deodorized, dehumanized news—and still it stinks."