"Murphy Stanton was attacked by a Catholic believer at a signing event due to the themes related to Catholicism in his new film..."
Back at home, Daisy opened her computer and found that the incident of Murphy being attacked at Santa Monica Business Plaza had already spread across social networks, with even footage of the event circulating.
She thought for a moment and then posted on her Twitter, "Thanks to Murphy! We ran into some trouble yesterday and got arrested. Murphy heard about it and had his lawyer bail us out. Thank you, Murphy, for everything!"
No sooner had Daisy posted this than someone replied, "What happened?"
"Don't mention it!" Daisy, who had already been briefed by Grace, responded without hesitation, "I led a group to block the bastard who attacked Murphy and taught him a lesson. Someone called the police, and we got arrested. Murphy's lawyer just bailed us out."
Another comment read, "Good job! That kind of person deserves a beating!"
More and more comments followed.
"Murphy had you bailed out, Daisy? You're so lucky!"
"I've never seen a director who cares about his fans like Murphy!"
"If what you're saying is true, supporting Murphy is the right thing to do!"
Daisy replied to this comment, "Of course, it's true! There were three other fans with me!"
Then she tagged Justin. Justin must have been online because he immediately joined the conversation, commenting, "I can confirm it's true! I even kicked that bastard several times!"
"You guys continue; I'm going to post on the IMDB discussion board."
After writing this, Daisy went to IMDB and posted related comments, then went on Facebook. This kind of news spread quickly among fans. Within five or six minutes, the heads of several fan organizations from Los Angeles, New York, Chicago, and Louisiana had contacted her, asking for details.
Daisy explained the incident to them in detail, knowing this would quickly spread through all of Murphy's fan organizations.
Thinking about the trouble she might have caused and what Murphy had done for her, Daisy felt the need to let more fans know how great Murphy was.
She returned to her Twitter to check the comments on her previous post and saw even more replies. Daisy quickly spotted a skeptical voice among them.
The account looked somewhat unfamiliar, "You beat up the guy who attacked Murphy Stanton? Bluffing, right?"
Daisy was about to respond when she saw a new comment below.
"Check this out. It proves Daisy isn't lying. Everything she wrote is true!"
Attached to this comment was a website link. Daisy immediately thought of what Grace had mentioned and quickly clicked on it, discovering it was an online version of a media outlet. The webpage featured a relatively clear video, showing the scene of her and Justin beating up the bastard on the beach!
That afternoon, after Murphy refused Hannum-Williams, a video of Murphy's fans beating a Catholic appeared online, and related comments directly pointed to Murphy himself.
"Murphy Stanton's brutal attitude towards Catholicism in his film has directly influenced his fans..."
"The film 'Diego Rose' and its wanton attacks on Catholicism are the fuse of this conflict!"
"Who should be held responsible for the clash between fans and believers? Murphy Stanton might want to think it over..."
In no time, Murphy and his film "Diego Rose" became the target of media criticism, as if they had committed heinous crimes, while the fact that Murphy was first attacked by a Catholic believer was conveniently forgotten.
The media always seeks the greatest news impact without hesitation, especially when they have no ties with Murphy.
As night fell, lights illuminated a small building in Santa Monica. Archbishop Marcos Costello sat in front of his computer, wearing round glasses, scrolling through the online news. Upon hearing reports that Murphy Stanton's fans had attacked a Catholic believer, he had immediately investigated the situation and watched the relevant video. He realized this was an excellent opportunity.
The news came from a social news media outlet, which had posted stories largely opposing Murphy Stanton. One article even cited an anonymous source, claiming that Murphy Stanton, in response to his previous attack, had directed his fans to assault the Catholic believer and should be held mainly responsible for the beating.
After reading these news articles, Archbishop Marcos Costello quietly thought for a while before calling out, "Bring in our public relations manager."
Within a few minutes, the PR manager entered Archbishop Marcos Costello's office. This was a staff member specially hired by the Catholic Church in the Los Angeles area to maintain close ties with many social news media.
In this era, even Archbishop Marcos Costello knew the importance of appropriate public relations!
He planned to use media opinion to apply pressure on Murphy Stanton.
By the next day, news related to Murphy's fans beating the Catholic believer had made its way into many print media outlets. Particularly, some social news media, which were even more focused and active than traditional entertainment media, seemed to be in their element.
This wave of public opinion came fiercely, even stronger than Murphy had anticipated.
"Bill just called."
In the living room of Wave Manor, Gal Gadot said to Murphy, who had just come out of the study, "He got reliable information that the local archbishop has contacted several media outlets inclined towards Catholicism, and most of the attacking media are under their influence."
"It seems they want to use public opinion to pressure me." Murphy walked to the villa's window and looked outside, where shadows could be seen moving near the estate gate, "But they've severely underestimated my resilience."
While others might not understand, Gal Gadot knew well that Murphy was the most resilient person she had ever met.
If Archbishop Marcos Costello thought this would make him compromise, he was dreaming!
"Do they think they can make us compromise this way?" Gal Gadot joined Murphy by the window, looking outside as well, "Public opinion is indeed a powerful weapon, but they've underestimated us."
The news that surfaced online yesterday was likely stirred up by the media collaborating with Hannum-Williams. However, the rapid spread and wide coverage within a single night indicated that Archbishop Marcos Costello had been watching them, waiting for the right opportunity.
"Archbishop Marcos Costello might not just be aiming for our compromise."
That morning, Murphy had anticipated some media reaction, but he hadn't expected so many reporters to show up at the estate gates. Many of them were not entertainment paparazzi but social news reporters. Bill Rosith, after extensive inquiries, confirmed that Archbishop Marcos Costello had indeed made a move.
Murphy thought for a moment and then said to Gal Gadot, "If they can pressure us into compromising and removing sensitive content from 'Diego Rose' before its wider release, that would be ideal. If not, they can use the conflict between me and the Catholic Church to overshadow the film's issues..."
Gal Gadot walked over, handed Murphy a cup of water, and he took a sip before continuing, "They might even create the impression that I have a conflict with the Catholic Church, manipulating my fans to attack their believers. Wouldn't that cast doubt on the credibility of the Catholic-related scenes in my film?"
Retrieving the empty cup from Murphy, Gal Gadot placed it on the windowsill, frowning, "The Catholic Church can't influence all media."
"They don't need to." Murphy's thoughts were speculative, based on a perspective of considering all angles, "If it were me, just creating controversy would make many people question my stance, especially Catholic believers and those inclined towards Catholicism. That's what Archbishop Marcos Costello cares about."
Although unsure if Murphy's guess was entirely correct, Gal Gadot knew Archbishop Marcos Costello was not a simple person. He wouldn't have climbed to the position of regional archbishop otherwise.
Gal Gadot took the cup back to the sofa and sat behind the coffee table piled with newspapers, asking, "Should we keep waiting?"
"Yes, keep waiting." Murphy also returned to his seat, "Bill and Kara have contacted the Writers Guild, Directors Guild, and Producers Alliance. They are also unhappy with religious interference in film production..."
Every industry dislikes outsiders coming in, protesting loudly and dictating how things should be done.
Murphy sat beside Gal Gadot and said, "Archbishop Marcos Costello is unlikely to stop here. Let's wait a bit and see if he makes any further moves."
From his interactions, Murphy could tell that Archbishop Marcos Costello was a tough character, similar to himself in some ways. He wouldn't easily give up and would certainly continue his efforts if he saw an opportunity.
Since leaving Stanton Studio the previous day, Murphy had been in constant contact with Bill Rosith, preparing for any possible scenarios.
_________________________
[Check out my Patreon for +200 additional chapters in all my fanfics! $5 for all!!]
[w w w . p a t r e o n .com / INNIT]
[+50 PowerStones = +1 Chapter]