Sandie Jones: Why I Set My New Thriller in the World of Unscrupulous Journalists

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I was brought up to believe that our country was governed by whichever party happened to be in office. That’s what my ancestors had instilled in the generations before me and the belief that I was intending to pass onto my own children. And if I hadn’t become a journalist, perhaps history would have continued repeating itself. But instead, I was astounded to discover that our rulers and politicians are merely the organ grinders monkeys, whilst the media is the conductor of the ensemble.

I’ve been interviewing celebrities for twenty-five years and I’d like to say that in that time, the media has moved with the times and changed its modus operandi when it comes to the lives they hold in their hands. But despite calls to protect the mental health and privacy of those they’re reporting on and supposed guidelines that they should now adhere to, you only need to look at recent headlines to see that they are still ignored. 

British tabloids in particular get a bad press, and rightly so. They are notoriously aggressive, far more than their US counterparts, and will pursue a story at all costs, regardless of the consequences. This is most likely due to the ‘Red Tops’ believing that they’re their own censors, having led the unprecedented charge for salacious gossip back in the 19th century, after the government relaxed the law around responsible reporting. Throw in the fact that it is now an over-populated market, where the most lascivious headlines are being fiercely fought over, and you have a swirling pit of ruthless journalists who will stop at nothing for a byline.

They quietly build celebrities up, setting them high on a pedestal, but don’t be fooled, because as they lurk in the shadows, they’re lining up for the kill. Waiting with baited breath for the chink in the armour to reveal itself – and just as soon it does….KAPOW! Out comes the hammer and chisel with which to systematically carve out their victim’s insides, leaving them devoid of integrity and honour.

It’s cut-throat and mean, and the reason I don’t work for them anymore. It’s also the reason I decided to use the newsroom of such an establishment as the setting of my new novel The Trade Off.

With such a wealth of corruption and manipulation to unleash on my characters, it was the perfect backdrop to create suspense and intrigue. But once I deep-dived into my research, even I was thunderstruck by how far some journalists would go and how low they would stoop in order to win the battle of the clickbaits against their competitors. 

What I discovered wasn’t only ethically wrong, but a crime against human nature and the law, although it took far too long to get the justice its victims deserved.

One such case was The Fake Sheikh, an unscrupulous journalist who would pose as a wealthy Arab to trick unknowing celebrities into committing unlawful acts. Young, impressionable actors and singers, who were as equally eager to impress, would be lulled into a false sense of security by an elaborate sting of epic proportions. They would be flown around the world, be put up in the best hotels, wined and dined in Michelin star restaurants, offered multi-million pound contracts to work with their heroes…. It was all theirs for the taking, with one final hurdle to overcome – if they were just able to get hold of a little of the white stuff, it was sure to convince the Sheikh that he was making the right choice. Desperate calls to friends of friends would be made, so sure were they that if they could just honour the simple request, their lives would be forever changed. They were – but not in the way they had dreamt of. 

Instead, they’d awake the next morning, to see their face splashed across the front pages, with a suspicious looking powder laid out on the table in front of them and a sleazy headline accusing them of being a drug dealer. Careers were destroyed, reputations sullied and previously successful individuals were left on the brink of financial ruin. Is it any wonder that some felt there was no way back?

That’s where one of the characters in The Trade Off finds herself. With nowhere left to turn, and having neither the energy or resources to fight back against the injustice, she is forced into taking drastic action when a story appears in fictional newspaper, The Globe. Accused of cheating on her husband, being a bad mother and a fraud, she can see no other way out and pays the ultimate sacrifice. But instead of the double-crossing journalist being held to account, the tabloid goes all out to cover their tracks, pointing the finger of responsibility at anybody in their line of sight.

Thankfully, in fiction, we’re able to right the wrongs, and that’s where upstanding Jess Townsend comes into her own, determined to take on her morally-bankrupt superior Stella. She fights corruption with honour, revenge with forgiveness and cheating with honesty, but can the battle be won? Or is her naivety going to take her down a road she can never come back from? 

I had so much fun pitting Jess against Stella and losing myself in the trials and tribulations of life on a daily newspaper. But those moments were largely short-lived when I suddenly realised that I wasn’t writing fiction at all – for almost everything that happens in The Trade Off has happened in real-life.

I hope that there will come a time, in the not-too-distant future when the media will take responsibility for their actions, and those whose jobs thrust them into the public spotlight no longer have to endure the intense scrutiny into their private lives. I also hope that the world is run by the people we vote for and not the puppet-masters who force their hands on policies and dictate how we should live our lives.

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