The head of the agency has been stealing taxpayers' money for years, he says, and there are canceled checks and secret documents that prove it. If you want the story, the source says, he'll go to the office some night and get those papers for you. Your stories have stirred up a hornet's nest, and now the government prosecutor and a judge are threatening to put you in jail unless you reveal your source. You're a political reporter covering a controversial candidate in a campaign for an important political office. It's common knowledge that if you operate a restaurant or bar in this city, you have to pay off government inspectors to keep them from fining you or closing you down.
Trouble is, nobody seems to want to talk about it on the record.
You're a program director for a campus radio station. You get a call one morning from the promotion department of a major record company offering you a free trip to Hollywood, a tour of the record company's studios, a ticket to a concert featuring all the company's biggest stars, and an invitation to an exclusive party where you'll get to meet all the performers. The company representative explains that this is simply a courtesy to you so that you'll better appreciate the quality of his company's products. You're a reporter for the local campus newspaper. The star of the basketball team, who happens to be the president of the Campus Crusade for Morality, has been involved in a minor traffic accident, and you have been assigned to cover the story.