The Candidate Read Free Page B

seen integrity compromised in the hunt for higher ratings. She’s not about to let that happen on her show.
    Silver stands up and starts to pace, his whole demeanor changing as his jaw sets and his eyes narrow. “Last month FOX beat you three times and CNN twice. That’s five weeknights out of twenty-two. There were six other nights where your lead was miniscule.” He stops abruptly and turns to her. “These numbers are unacceptable.”
    Erica knew she’d lost a few nights, but she didn’t realize that her lead all month was that tenuous. And Silver’s ultimatum is so stark and brutal. She feels the fiery demons of insecurity that have haunted her for her whole life flare up. She hears her mother’s mocking voice. Ha-ha, smarty pants, got a little too big for your britches, didn’t you? And then, after the taunts, comes Slap! Slap-slap! Take that, you little brat!
    Erica feels a bead of sweat roll down from her left armpit. She crosses and uncrosses her legs. Mort Silver has taken a step closer to her, seems to tower over her.
    She’s starting to feel a little bullied, and Erica has never liked bullies. She sits up tall and says, “I’m proud of the show, Mort, proud of my team. I think we’ve become a consistent source of superior journalism. We’re taken seriously across the country and around the world.”
    “That’s a given. And your being in the top spot used to be a given. Now it isn’t. And that’s a problem. For me. For Sundar. For our shareholders. And for you.”
    “If you think I’m going to start chasing sensational stories just to give my ratings a temporary boost, you’ve got yourself the wrong woman.”
    Mort looks at her—or is that a glare? Maybe he didn’t expect her to respond so forcefully. In any case, he seems to switch gears; his face softens and he sits back down. “We all have the same goal. To see The Erica Sparks Effect firmly on top. Any thoughts on how to make that happen?”
    “The presidential campaign is heating up. We may well have the first woman and the first Latino nominees. This is history in the making. I want to be a part of it. Moderating one of the debates would put me in the spotlight in a whole new way and take my reputation to the next level. Let’s make that happen.”
    Mort nods. “We’ll put your name forward to the Commission on Presidential Debates. You do have a rep for being nonpartisan, which should help your chances, but there are no guarantees. Both of the eventual candidates have veto power.”
    “Lucy Winters has a lock on the Republican nomination,” Erica says. “The Democrat will be either Ortiz or Buchanan. I’ll do my best to let all three candidates know I’m interested and impartial.”
    “Debate moderator or not, I think we have to address the underlying cause of your slippage.”
    “Which is?”
    Silver drums on the desktop with his fingertips and takes a deep breath. “You’ve lost some of your mojo, Erica. Sometimes you seem to be gliding through your show. Other times you seem distracted. You’re not as hungry as you used to be. You have to stay famished in this business.”
    Erica feels anger rising up in her. “I’m the top-rated cable newscaster in the country, and you’re telling me I’ve lost my mojo?”
    “ I’m not telling you; the numbers are,” Silver says forcefully, harshly.
    Suddenly Erica’s position at GNN feels, if not quite precarious, far less secure. And if her career is uncertain, so is every other aspect of her life. She feels the sweat spread to her forehead, and suddenly the room feels close and airless. Her breathing grows shallow.
    Silver leans back in his chair and tries to contain his smirk. “Have you caught any of Sara Kenyon’s show over on CNN? She’s interesting. Bright. Driven. Incredibly self-possessed for a twenty-six-year-old.”
    Sara Kenyon is the new flavor of the month. Yes, she’s smart and watchable, but she began her career as a meteorologist; she has no journalism