Jonah didn't like it. Not one bit. The new superheroes who had no idea what they were doing, the sudden influx of villains, and the absolutely idiotic news stations who were already publicising Athena's disappearance. The situation was starting to look dire. Crime was definitely going to spike now that it was public news that Athena was missing, and support from the Vanguard probably wouldn't come for months. Not that it was common knowledge but they were off world and now Might's brat, Genesis, was running things. She was smart, but she didn't have the management chops. Jonah highly doubted she was paying any attention to what was happening in New York right now. He let out a hearty sigh.
Now he had to make an important decision. He'd already decided what the paper's focus for the upcoming weeks was going to be, but now he had to decide what they were putting on the air. The paper's consumers were of an older demographic, a following that had reason to trust him even if they shouldn't. It meant he could be slightly more lenient with the truth if it meant giving them a better sense of the danger that was coming. Reporting was different. It wasn't so much about trust as it was about engagement. You could straight up lie, portray clear bias, and even spout complete nonsense; if it was controversial, people engaged. You didn't need respect or reputability, you just needed a recognisable brand, good hosts, good visuals, and an agenda. It wasn't exactly the method he favoured, but if it got people speaking about the topic it was enough. Social media was important too. For younger viewers it represented the company's brand. Jonah couldn't understand social media all that well, but he was smart enough to know that it affected ratings.
But either way, he needed to get back to the question at hand. He needed to decide what we were going to focus the televised reports on. There were two plans; framing the new heroes as incompetent or framing Genesis. Framing the new heroes would be easy. The two speedsters, Pink and Blue, had obliterated streets, cars and even killed people in collateral, trying to take down that monster. They deserved whatever shitstorm was coming their way. The Dragonfly and Spiderman weren't as bad, but they definitely didn't know what they were doing and he knew he could get away with tagging them onto the end of the mess of recent events as accomplices. If he did it properly he could generate more support from the New York populous for the proposed superhero control legislature. According to polls, the police and healthcare professionals were already on his side, but firemen and teachers weren't, and the average citizen had grown indifferent. The same for a majority of the police too. They didn't like her because she made them look incompetent but when you had an all powerful hero backing you up, you tended to take things a bit easier. They'd all grown too comfortable with Athena saving them so regularly, they didn't realise just how bad the city had gotten. The Athena effect as he liked to call it.
But, that was besides the point. Jonah's first option was clear and concise, generate hate and pass the bill. His second option however had a lot further reaching implication. Pinning the blame on Genesis could jeopardise the entire company. From the Bugle's image and credibility, to his own if it got out he'd started the whole fiasco. Genesis was popular. More than popular. If he got on the wrong side of her fans it could be an absolute shitshow. But he could use that to generate engagement. If speaking about anyone would get you coverage it was Amanda Farrow. But if he pinned the nationally rising crime rates and disasters on her and it worked, it'd tarnish her reputation forever. Throwing a shadow over the entire Junior Vanguard and reducing their credibility to the general public could cause a lot of problems in the future. But he'd be bringing attention to the superhero epidemic and maybe, possibly, even generate enough national interest for laws to be passed nationally.
Not that he cared too much about what happened outside of New York.
Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings.
Still there was too much was at risk with that plan. It risked the company and everyone's in it's job's and careers. It risked people's faith in the Junior Vanguard, who - even if people forgot - were the Vanguard's successors. And it was the kind of morally grey that was a bit too dark for his tastes. But he was still thinking about the choices. Between risking the future of the entire country's current and probable future protectors, or having one city hate a few kids.
It was clear which one was more reasonable.
If the negative effects of the average New Yorker's standard of living became apparent as he pinned the blame on the new heroes, it would, without a doubt, generate more than enough support to have the metahuman restriction legislature passed in New York under special laws. If he did the right thing the only people negatively impacted would be the new superheroes. Four people. Only four kids.
Four kids.
Jonah glanced at the envelope on the table in front of him. He didn't want to open it. If he did, he knew it would affect his decision. Cloud his judgement to some degree. It probably already was and he hadn't even opened it. It brought forward all the insecurities he had about his capability. All the doubts about the decisions he'd ignored until now. It made Jonah think about the invisible box of morals his agendas confined him to and all the mistakes he'd made because of it. It made him question everything. But he still couldn't throw it away. A part of him knew he deserved this. A sick twisted part. Or maybe the only part of him that wasn't.
There was a knock at the door. He leant back in his chair, letting out a relieved sigh. Thank god. He needed a moment there. He'd almost been crushed under the weight of his own thoughts.
"Come in" Jonah said loudly. The door to his office opened and the sound of telephones and a cacophony of voices flooded the room. Betty stepped in carrying a stack of papers followed by Eddie, who didn't close the door behind him.
"Mr Jameson" Betty said, leaving the stack of papers on his desk.
"Thank you Betty" Jonah replied with a sigh. She left quietly shutting the door behind her, as Eddie stood taking in the room around with his stupid shit eating grin. He was holding a folder. Jonah sighed.
"Eddie, just email me the photos. I'm busy" Jonah said. Eddie laughed, the sound grating against Jonah's ears and slapped the envelope against his hand.
"Sorry Mr J, I just prefer a bit of face to face action you know? Makes me feel more at home here" he said, grinning.
"Just give me the damn photos and get out" Jonah said.
"Sure thing boss" Eddie said, dropping them onto the desk. "Trust me Mr J, your going to like these ones."
Jonah shot him a glare and Eddie laughed backing away before doing an awkward shuffle spin, tripping slightly and then stepped out the office, failing to close the door again. Jonah sighed and went to stand up, but Betty quickly flashed him a smile and closed. He let out another relieved sigh. Her help was probably the only reason he hadn't retired yet. He needed to give her a raise. Jonah snatched Eddie's envelope off the desk and stared at it. The only reason that kid even had a damn job was because his mum was a majority shareholder. A shame, he'd have fired him a long time ago if I could. He tore the envelope open and sifted through a bunch of photos. He threw most of them away, but paused on a few of Dragonfly and spiderman eating on top of a building. Spiderman covered in ketchup and parts of his own burger. Hmm, kid got lucky. These would work.
Jonah threw the rest in the bin and sighed, glancing at the pile of paper Betty had left him. He leant forward and brought his hands to his face, before looking down at the words on the front of the brown envelope he'd received a week ago
'To J Jonah Jameson. From Athena'
He looked away. He didn't want to read it. He knew what it was and it was already doing enough damage.
His whole mission was to ensure the right people were doing the right things. Hearing the right things. Seeing the right things. He'd just wanted to keep her in line. Someone had to. He'd... he'd never meant for this.
Jonah stood up, his neck stiff and back tight. He was getting old. Too old for all of this. He turned to face the window and stared out over the city, the sound of traffic distant from his office, but present all the same. He glanced up at the sky. It was a cold empty blue.
"God dammit Athena" Jonah muttered to himself. "Where the hell are you?"