A Moral Obligation

First things first: I would like to apologize, because this post is going to be incredibly vague. However, it is important that I be discreet until I'm ready to break the story.

I stumbled across something terrible.

At first, it was not something that I paid much attention to; it was simply an anomaly that made for an amusing anecdote. But a part of me knew that something about it wasn't right. It ate away at me for weeks before I finally let myself scrutinize it further. Upon further inspection, I realized that there is a story there, and one that needs to be brought to light. 

This ongoing project is something that I will need to prioritize. Time management is going to be a challenge this year, because I'm going to have to balance many things: my senior year of high school, college applications, theatre productions, a part-time job, all on top of this investigation. Of all the things, this is one thing that I cannot let slip. There is too much at stake.

I suppose a bit of it is self-motivated; I can't resist a good mystery. But I'm also compelled by a noble call to action. If I know about this tragedy and don't do my best to make change, I'd be complicit in that injustice. I'm not going to do that. For that reason, I'd feel to guilty if I let this slip. 

It's possible that there is no story. Maybe I'll have wasted my time grasping at straws. But until I know that, I have to proceed like there is something; the possible stakes are too high.

Until the actual story comes to light, any updates will be similarly vague. That isn't just for suspense; it is for my integrity of a journalist. I have a responsibility to report the truth, and sharing my hypotheses can endanger reputations, the physical safety of sources, as well as my journalistic credibility.

Now, if you don't mind, I have some poking around to do.