Hogwarts 1991

Chapter 425 'Real' news is not succumbing to pressure
Fudge looked at the title and paused for a moment, then skipped it, then said with a blank expression, as if nothing happened, "Especially the jokes aimed at successive ministers..."

After finishing speaking, he glared at Crouch next to him. Although he knew that this scrupulous, rigid and serious guy would not tell his own jokes, most of the jokes about him came from this guy's power faction, especially after this guy regained his influence, which made it... Not long ago, he directly exploded a lot of [Jokes], which made him very angry.

"Don't laugh, I know you're secretly laughing in your heart..."

"No, Minister, I didn't!" Rita Skeeter hastily denied.

"No need to deny it, even if you laugh, I don't care. But I have to say... this heinous slander will seriously affect me... hungry... affect the prestige of the Ministry of Magic in the hearts of wizards... From my own point of view, I am afraid that the entire British media world, especially the "Daily Prophet" has become a gathering place for opposing the British Ministry of Magic."

Speaking of which, Fudge summoned a bunch of file bags with the logo of [news reports of successive ministers of magic being killed]... [negative news reports that over-promote the Ministry of Magic].

"Of course, there are others, but I'm afraid you can't hold them anymore!"

Fudge said at last.

Rita Skeeter was sweating profusely holding the large pile of paper bags that almost covered her head. She clearly understood that a large part of these reports were written by herself.

Especially some of the classic jokes in [Fudge’s Magical Jokes Collection],
A large part of the commission from writing the joke collection was contributed to the magic crocodile leather handbag on his hand.

It is estimated that Cornelius Fudge does not know about this matter... Otherwise, he would definitely not be so calm.

The more she thought about it, the more flustered she became.

"Fudge!" Rita Skeeter forced a laugh on her face, and said flatteringly in a completely different tone, "Minister Cornelius Fudge...Minister! This is definitely a misunderstanding."

"The "Daily Prophet" and their newspapers have a clear answer to these, and this should not be something I know. I am just a small newspaper reporter,...Minister Fudge!"

"Oh, Rita Skeeter! You think so little of yourself."

"With your talents, you can be more than just a reporter? Don't you want to make a difference? You should take a long-term view and let yourself base yourself on the overall situation."

"Do you think we should create a special post to curb these anti-government trends that are spreading in the news media!"

Fudge suddenly became kind again, and he patted the pile of files held by Rita Skeeter very affectionately, waved his wand to make it float aside, and said this to the lady with a big face.

"Minister, minister, you mean... I can..." Rita had to pretend to be a little excited (Boss said this, especially in front of the leader who might hold her own, she had to do so.)
Rita Skeeter was not at all afraid to underestimate the Minister for Magic, who the journalists agreed seemed to be very mediocre.

The Minister of Magic had just knocked her out of her head with a set of 'combo punches'.

And the possibility he just hinted at... Even if it was just a possibility, she couldn't refuse it.

Fudge smiled in his heart, he thought that the female reporter in front of him could not hold on anymore, and he only needed to add more "firewood".

"Rita, of course I know that these newspapers have always given answers to the Ministry of Magic and the public, but whether the answers are stupid or not is another matter...I, our Ministry of Magic...uh..."

Fudge almost slipped his tongue, he hastily brought the topic back again, "...the public in our wizarding world can no longer allow these guys to fool us like idiots..."

"Minister, you mean?"

"That's right, let's not talk about other foreign newspapers and private gossip tabloids. The "Daily Prophet" is specially funded by the Ministry of Magic every year. How can they conspire against the Ministry of Magic like this?"

Rita Skeeter understood Fudge all too well.

—Could it be?
She began to suppress the excitement in her heart and agreed again and again.

"That's right, they should be so wrong. So..."

"So?" Rita Skeeter expected.

"So - we are going to send a special supervisory inspector to 'review' the "Daily Prophet" and other important British newspapers..."

"Ahem——" Crouch coughed twice as a reminder.

"Yes, not censorship! We are not an Auror authoritarian country like the United States, we are a symbol of freedom and democracy in the wizarding world..."

Fudge quickly changed the subject and said (but Rita Skeeter obviously didn't care about the quibble in the subject),

"We need to conduct a detailed investigation of these newspapers and media to consider whether to cancel these funding?"

"We need to investigate whether the media in our country is colluding with the Ministry of Magic of France, Germany...even Russia and the United States to discredit the British Ministry of Magic at the International Association of Magic!"

"And we need to investigate whether there are signs of misuse of funds from the Ministry of Magic by the Daily Prophet?"

"According to someone's report, when the Ministry of Magic began to cut personnel and venue funds last year, the "Daily Prophet" actually raised the budget given by the Ministry of Magic by 3%. There were even rumors that the editor-in-chief and leadership of the "Daily Prophet" used this part of their funds for personal purposes... I am particularly dissatisfied with this!" (Rita Skeeter nodded repeatedly.)
"I personally consider forming a committee around this investigator to review the use of this fund..."

Rita was so excited that she couldn't speak—was Fudge hinting at her?

Judging from his words, the power of this new investigator is astonishingly great. Although Rita Skeeter is usually known for being anti-government and anti-authoritarian in the press, when such a job with huge (power) responsibilities is placed in front of her, she still can't help but feel throbbing in her heart.

She straightened her glasses, her eyes were shining, she couldn't wait to bring her big face close to Fudge, licked her face and asked, "Then, have you considered a candidate for the position of investigator? What are the conditions?"

"I consider that this position must have an open-minded, international perspective, preferably a wizard who has a deep understanding of the newspaper media industry...Of course, it can't be the editors of the "Daily Prophet" or a wizard with any close connections. That way, nothing can be found."

"And I personally hope that this candidate can uphold the public's position and be impartial... Of course, her image usually has a high degree of credibility for the wizarding people in Britain. This will make it easier for me to nominate!" Fudge said with 'a little consideration'.

Rita Skeeter felt that all her qualifications were highly suitable for this position, which was tailor-made for herself.

"Then Minister...Minister Hu Ji, what do you think of me? I personally think that the "Daily Prophet"...and other British magical newspapers do have many disadvantages, and now it is time to reform!"

"Well, Skeeter, you really meet the requirements, and your reputation among wizards is not bad... Indeed, you are a good candidate."

Fudge stopped talking, he knew that Crouch would automatically cooperate, this rigid and serious old opponent was obviously much more credible than himself in giving the final blow.

Therefore, he winked at Crouch. As Fudge's political rival, Crouch obviously understood what Fudge was planning when he arrived here.

——It's my turn to play the bad guy!
So Crouch cleared his throat, coughed and said, "Ahem—of course, to be fair, I have to warn you—someone asked some tough questions?"

"what is the problem?"

"For example—on what Fudge said earlier...the Daily Prophet has unclear ties to foreign ministries of magic; or on the issue of agreeing with pure-blood supremacists, we found that some editors and reporters did not take a clear stand...not always on the side of the British Ministry of Magic and the wizarding people in England."

"Are you kidding? This kind of thing?"

"Ok?"

"Oh, no, no, I'm not talking about you, Crouch and Minister Fudge. The considerations of both of you are obviously correct. I have long been dissatisfied with this absurd behavior in the "Daily Prophet". As a British wizard, as a British media reporter with a conscience, truth and justice... We did not expect that such a thing that can almost be regarded as a joke can still happen in the modern British magical society! This is simply intolerable!"

"Yes! Can't tolerate it!"

Rita Skeeter said with a 'sense of justice'.

Crouch nodded with 'satisfaction', and continued, "And the use of the subsidy funds given by the Ministry of Magic to the "Daily Prophet"..."

At this time, Fudge suddenly interjected, "The problem of the use of those funds is very serious. As far as I know... Quidditch tickets, overseas travel expenses, some tea sets, and even clothing and jewelry expenses are covered in it."

Hearing this, Rita Skeeter became a little nervous, and she justified it a little, "Perhaps... this is required by the work. Reporters and editors must use first-hand real information from various places to report."

"Really?" Fudge's smile made Rita Skeeter shudder.

He took out some documents and magic photos. The crowd on them were gorgeously dressed, talking loudly, smiling, and the whole banquet was full of golden light.

"According to [Gringotts] goblins' tracking of this payment... These reporters and editors, as well as the directors and even assistants of the "Daily Prophet", the executive staff usually appear at a certain dance with a champagne glass first thing when they go abroad, and they are accompanied by their wives...or ladies of equal status..."

Rita had to excuse her colleagues, because going on... she couldn't escape.

"It's a courtesy... These banquets and dances are all used by the local Ministry of Magic to entertain us. After all, we always say hello when interviewing in other countries!"

"And the ladies?" asked Fudge.

"Oh... As for those ladies of the same status, many officials from the Ministry of Magic will do the same, after all, this is a courtesy to show respect to the local organizer..."

"Of course, there are people who don't choose that. You see, I'm not like that... I don't have any male companions of the same status..." She smiled awkwardly, trying to make a joke and cover up Fudge's next topic.

She vaguely felt that something was wrong.

"Hahaha……"

"Haha...ha." Fudge was also beaten, so he could only muddle through this matter with her in embarrassment.

"Of course it's more than that...Look at this one, yours is a pretty good one." Then, Fudge took out some more photos,
Here are some photos of the previous "Daily Prophet" editors, directors' wives, and ladies of the same status shopping in a gorgeously decorated magic store,
And one of them was singled out by Fudge—on it, Rita Skeeter and a shop assistant in purple-black wizard robes were shopping for a piece of exquisite and gorgeous jewelry.

Rita Skeeter's eyes widened, and she immediately crumpled up the photo and put it in her pocket.

It was one of the things she was afraid of.

——This was when the Ministry of Magic was in trouble because of the [Rafflesia incident] last year. Most of the senior editors and reporters of the "Daily Prophet" accepted the invitation of the US Ministry of Magic to hide there for a long time.

Afterwards, Rita Skeeter not only received a commission from the American news media, but also paid the British Ministry of Magic subsidy funds for the "Daily Prophet" because of another report.

It was this manuscript fee and the stipend from the Daily Prophet that she bought the magic jewelry necklace that she had always wanted to buy, which was the one in the photo.

"This this……"

Rita Skeeter wanted to say that this was a local etiquette—in order to maintain the dignity of British wizards in front of their fellow American wizards, she had to buy some dress accessories to match the banquet, but I'm afraid Fudge and Crouch would go crazy if such foolish words were spoken.

So she was left speechless.

Seeing that she had nothing to say, Crouch said in a firm tone, "Of course, we may tolerate these criticisms, as long as the situation does not escalate further. After all, the affairs of the various departments of the Ministry of Magic are not much better, just like what our Minister of Magic often advises me-never pick a rotten scar, you will never know what is buried underneath!"

Hearing this sentence, Fudge's face froze and became gloomy, but he still held back.

Seeing that Rita Skeeter was about to succumb, she couldn't fail at this moment.

Although Crouch's words were straightforward and sounded very unpleasant, the more he said this, the more Rita Skeeter believed him. (At least it is much more believable than that old political stick Fudge.)
She was momentarily relieved.

but……

"But...but I'm just a small reporter. You need to understand my position. It is impossible for me to interfere with the publication of the "Daily Prophet" page."

"Of course! But when I became a special supervisor and inspector, it was different!" Fudge saw that Rita Skeeter's tone was a little timid, so he snapped his fingers, and those documents and photos disappeared instantly.

"In this way you have enough rights... to improve the... this abnormal anti-government trend among the British wizarding community and among news media practitioners!"

"But journalists... the "Daily Prophet" and other media will not bow to the government's pressure. Even if I am the supervisor and censor. We will not modify the reports written based on facts and truth!"

——This is treating her like a puppet!

This will greatly offend the peers.

Above all, of course, it would make her, Rita Skeeter, a joke in the press.

Rita clutched the crocodile satchel, she was already a bit reluctant to ask for the position.

(End of this chapter)