The Paper Page #9

that she would hate you?

I kept f***ing my reporters and...

broke her mother's heart.

- That would do it.

- Yeah, it would. It did.

I think we got room

for 20 inches on this one.

Give me a killer lead.

You got three minutes.

- I need four.

- Three.

Whatever. Just make it fast.

We're ripping page one for a new wood.

- I have to talk to you.

- "They Didn't Do lt" as big as you can.

I'm subbing one and three.

Main bar on three.

120-point, all caps.

Slap "Exclusive" in there.

Big, big.

You know if we get these kids...

What's the matter?

Did you feel that?

Oh, my God.

They ran it.

They f***ing ran it.

They ran the wrong

f***ing headline! God!

- I'm stopping it.

- What?

We stop and replate.

Go write up what you've got. Tell Lou

to send down "They Didn't Do lt."

Are you going to say it?

You gotta say it.

Use the same art.

How often do you get the chance?

You can't do it and not say it!

Stop the presses!

- How do we stop the run?

- Who are you?

I'm the Metro editor.

How do we stop the run?

We don't stop the run.

I mean if we had to. A guy breaks in,

puts a gun to your head.

- How do you stop the run?

- Hit the kill button.

Thank you.

Hey, don't touch that!

Where's the key?

Give me the key.

- Chuck's got the key.

- Give me Chuck!

Hi. How are you?

This is working.

This is gonna work.

All right.

What the hell is going on?

You sure you got

authorization for this?

I got authorization. How long will

it take once we get the new plate in?

Twenty, thirty minutes.

We have to rethread the whole machine.

I'd feel better

if I talked to Ms Clark first.

- I already talked to her.

- You son of a b*tch.

You're not gonna stop this run.

- Did you run that headline?

- You're goddam right.

We were two hours past deadline.

Nobody knew where you were.

It's 180 degrees wrong.

We gotta change it.

- How far are we into the run?

- A quarter of the way, maybe more.

- There's 90,000 papers on the trucks.

- No way! We run what we got.

It's wrong!

Given the information we had,

it's right.

Yeah, but it's not right.

I got a cop. I got a quote.

It's wrong.

Not today. Tomorrow it's wrong.

We only have to be right for a day.

This shouldn't be semantics

or money.

People will read this,

and they'll believe us.

People take the Sun with a grain

of salt. We'll run yours tomorrow.

No! Not tomorrow!

Right f***ing now today!

I bet you thought

it would never catch up with you...

that I don't know

the sh*t you guys say about me.

You think I don't get the bean counter

jokes or understand your snide sh*t?

You don't even have

a college degree.

You couldn't take

the sh*t I put up with!

You a**holes think I don't know

that you wait until I leave...

before you sneak off

to the Bear's Head?

Can't invite me for a lousy drink.

- You jerk, it's not about you or me!

- Never thought it'd catch up with you.

Well, f*** you.

It catches up today.

We run what we've got.

Give me those f***ing keys.

- Give me those keys.

- No.

- You give me those keys!

- Get out of my way.

Can you believe this?

Are you all right?

Hold it!

Give me the keys!

Are you nuts?

Somebody should stop this.

Give me the goddam...

I'm sorry!

Come on!

Give me the keys!

- Get away from me.

- You goddam son of a b*tch!

Arrogant bastard!

Get away from me!

You are so f***ing fired.

I'm fired? You can't...

- Can you start without a web break?

- Probably.

- Do it.

- Yes, ma'am.

Congratulations.

You've officially become

everything you used to hate.

What the hell

is that supposed to mean?

Hey! Come here!

That's my car,

you son of a b*tch! Come here!

Sh*t!

Come back here, you...

Oh, come on!

Did you see that?

You're a witness!

God!

Oh, sh*t!

Son of a b*tch.

What's the matter with you?

- The car got towed.

- Again?

You want a ride?

I'm not a leper.

I'll buy you a drink.

Thank you so much

for the ugly spotted thing...

I got from two other people.

What was it? On sale?

I know you're in training, but

would you have another drink with me?

By the way,

Bernie White's the name.

Marion Sandusky.

Why does that ring a bell?

What do you want me to say?

"Good job. You struck a blow

for journalistic integrity today"?

I can't do it. You abused your position

to settle a personal score.

It is what it is. Live with it.

Henry was right.

- Double bourbon up.

- What do you mean?

Dewars on the rocks, please.

Henry was glib, that's all.

"Everything I used to hate."

What does that even mean?

Henry wouldn't have a newspaper

to work on if I hadn't saved it.

Henry doesn't have

a newspaper to work on.

Oh, please!

I'm ODing on

righteous indignation tonight.

I know I know that name

from someplace.

- Common name.

- No, it's not a common name.

I gotta go to the john.

We're not exactly

the Washington Post, okay?

No, we're not.

We run stupid headlines

because we think they're funny.

We run maimings on the front page

because we got good art.

I spend three weeks bitching

about my car because it sells papers.

At least it's the truth.

As far as I can remember...

we never, ever knowingly

got a story wrong, until tonight.

That's what Henry meant.

- You got any smokes?

- What kind you want?

Box is fine.

- What's going on?

- Your wife.

They just went upstairs, but...

- Marty. Oh, God!

- Go, go, go!

- Move. We're taking her down.

- I'm her husband. What happened?

Your wife's haemorrhaging vaginally.

We need to ask you some questions.

- Hold the elevator.

- I got it.

- How long before she's due?

- Two weeks.

Does she have any existing

health problems or allergies?

She's allergic to penicillin.

What's wrong with her?

Could be abruptio placentae.

- They'll diagnose at the hospital.

- Blood pressure's high. 150 over 100.

Anything unusual

about the pregnancy?

Fetal heart rate

is slipping down to 60 beats a minute.

- What's that mean?

- Got to get her out of here.

It's gonna be okay, honey.

Come on!

Who's this?

It's Alicia Clark.

Get me the press room.

Hey, big Mac. How you doing?

Heard you got a novel going.

- Who told you that?

- Hamill.

I didn't tell Hamill.

Cheryl, let me get

another bourbon.

What's it about?

It's a story I did

a couple of years ago.

You're the parking commissioner.

- You should do the Siamese triplets.

- I don't wanna do that.

- You're blowing it.

- Hey, wait, wait!

Get the f*** out of my way!

I'll kill you,

you son of a b*tch!

What? You got stuck?

No! Chuck! I've gotta

talk to Chuck now!

- F***ing son of a b*tch!

- I'll kill you, you f***!

Son of a b*tch.

You little prick!

You won't get me!

Get back! Get back!

Give me back that gun.

Give me back the gun, Sandusky.

Shut up!

I don't need you to tell me

the f***ing department's f***ed up!

I know it's f***ed up!

It was f***ed up when I got there.

Why did you have to pick on me?

- You should have returned my calls.

- You called me a mindless bureaucrat!

You should have paid

for the damages.

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