Willow/Profile

Willow

Story

Profile

Quotes

Career

The CM-JRNLST is a type of Doll created by Cyber Media which specializes in news reporting. This model is equipped with a data crawler capable of analyzing big data from many different fields. A CM-JRNLST can collect data from several different social media platforms in real-time and respond to content as soon as it appears. They are even capable of predicting, to a degree, what the next hot topics are going to be.

Willow is a Doll currently employed as a reporter. She has some of the most extensive industry reach, the most amount of analysis and opinion pieces recently written, and is among the most influential when it comes to public opinion online. At the very onset of Project Neural Cloud, she keenly identified its value as news and went directly to the head of the news department at Cyber Media. Through her connections, she obtained a spot on the project and the exclusive rights to report on it.

Doll Profile 1

Compared to Dolls in more traditional industries, those involved in journalism are required to be a bit more creative. They cannot solely rely on their inherent, imbued professional knowledge to find success.

Early in her career, not long after being awakened, Willow was nicknamed "Officer Willow" by her colleagues. No matter what the topic of discussion was, if someone made a definite, strong opinion they would end up in her crosshairs. Willow would inquire about the facts behind their views and the basis of their conclusion—although most of the time it was just idle chatter that ended up being heavily scrutinized.

"Haha, the Officer, of course everyone knows her. She can be a bit of a handful, but she's endearing in her own way. Honestly, I wish everyone in media could be as pragmatic as she is, but... not to say there's no one, but I haven't seen any in the last few years..."
"Hey! Chen, what is going on with this report? They've already issued a clarification statement, why are you still reporting old information? Can't you take a page from Willow? Her reports are always submitted on time and are carefully reviewed. Look, you can't just coast along day in, day out... eh? Hey, hey, cut this part out, ok?"
—New World Telegraph Editor-in-Chief, Live Interview

Doll Profile 2

The general consensus in the public relations industry is "don't be fooled by Willow's appearance". Under her seemingly innocent and lively demeanor, there lays a fiend with a keen nose and sharp mind.

In the eyes of some in the industry, Willow is a schemer who hides under a facade of innocence to get scoops. What they don't realize is that her innocence is genuinely a part of Willow. That combination of a keen nose and sharp mind that can lead to exceptional insights? Genuine as well.

It is this combination of purity and candor that allows her to maintain her composure and remain unswayed by competing interests whilst navigating complicated issues. These two seemingly completely disparate qualities are harmoniously combined within her—it may be cliché to say, but she was born to work in this field.

Willow is also gifted with the ability to notice "blind spots" that ordinary people and even other professionals in the field fail to detect. The pieces written by her are often extraordinary and have a strong sense of personal style. Over time, this has led Willow to make quite a name for herself and accumulate quite a large number of supporters.

Doll Profile 3

Outside of being a journalist, Willow is also a well-known critic. She has a personal column on Cyber Media's most widely used social media platform. There, she puts up articles not related to the news, such as her thoughts on movies, books, and music.

This column garnered her a large following, but it also received criticism from some of her colleagues. They believed that it was irresponsible of Willow to become an influencer and completely ignore how it would affect both the public and businesses. They emphasized that as an individual working in the news industry, she should not make so many personal remarks outside of work.

Her colleague's arguments gave Willow pause, and she reflected on her actions. After careful consideration, she felt she could not simply quit writing her column, but that she should be cautious in expressing her opinions and ensure that her reviews are both comprehensive and objective.

"If I can't even share the things I enjoy in fear of public opinion, then, when I report the truth, who can be sure that my words will not be shackled to the will of others?"
— Willow's Public Statement on the "Journalism Free Speech Incident"

Doll Profile 4

Willow's career has not always been smooth sailing. In 2055, she disappeared from the public eye for half a year due to a news report.

Willow was not the first person in charge of that report. During the incident, the former manager was concerned about the potential public reaction and, after discussions with the victim and the police, decided not to disclose the incident details. This move would end up being perceived by the public as a cover-up attempt, eventually causing the manager to take the blame and resign. Willow was filled with a burning sense of justice, and after she took over the report, she revealed the truth against the advice of the police. This successfully reversed public opinion, but also forced the victim and their family back into the spotlight. Additionally, those who had once denounced the authorities and clamored for the truth had oddly gone silent.

Faced with the wails of the victim and their family, and the apathetic response to the truth, Willow fell into a state of confusion familiar to veterans of the industry. She would lay low after this event to ponder the meaning of her work.

"Those who protest don't seek the truth, the injured parties don't want the truth, the news cycle doesn't wait for the truth. So what should I even report? What am I really doing?"
—Willow's Profile Status, January 14, 2056

Doll Profile 5

Many journalists have experienced the changing of careers, and Dolls are no exception. As long as their actions can bring attention and reputation to the company, Cyber Media doesn't mind their Dolls making lateral career moves. Therefore, there is no shortage of journalists who make the jump to public relations in search for more income or greater challenges.

Many of her colleagues thought that Willow would follow such a path after the incident. They never expected that she not only chose to return, but also decided to broaden the reach and depth of her reporting out of her own independent initiative. Willow would often venture to other departments to seek advice and council, taking it upon herself to accept troublesome, problematic assignments.

"You once stated that 'the audience doesn't need the truth, the parties involved don't want the truth, and the ratings won't wait for the truth'. So why do you now insist on doing in-depth investigations aimed at reaching out to the truth? Your actions are contradictory with how the mainstream media does things."

"People tend to believe that they can discern right from wrong, yet when you find yourself sucked into a whirlpool of information, it's quite difficult to make an unbiased, objective judgment. Controversial topics are sensationalized, information distorted and facts manipulated to the extent that people are left confused, only able to recite what they've heard. It is in these moments that we are needed, to report and highlight the truth so we can remind people what actually happened, and what we should really think about. While it's true that some onlookers don't care for the truth and simply want to be part of a crowd, society needs the truth. As someone in the field of media and journalism, we need the truth."
—2057 Interview with Willow, Cyber Media's Gold Journalist and winner of the International News Award.