'Press' Episode 4: Amina deals with the aftermath of the Joshua West scandal while Duncan continues to woo Holly for The Post
In the previous episode of 'Press' we saw how Holly Evans' (Charlotte Riley) one careless mistake led to Herald losing out on a story to Post and this time, the consequences may cut the newspaper deeper than just increase or decrease in their sales. The third episode of the six-part series had seen Herald continue to face some big issues concerning ethics and interference from the law. First, Holly and Amina Chaudury (Priyanga Burford) learned that one of their senior investigative reporters Chris, who is reporting from Somalia about terror activities has been fudging the truth in his copies to make his articles more effective. Just when Amina is dealing with this, she is also informed about a story that Holly is working on, about one Joshua West.
West is a wealthy philanthropist accused of abusing his position of power to have a relationship with women promising them money and job opportunities among other things. One of the women who received seed money to set up her business, Rachel Gilmour, had come forward to tell her story to Herald. Holly who was working on this story leaves behind vital information in her flat, which she shared with Ed, who works at the Post and the story leaks. So when Herald reaches out to West and his lawyers for comments on Rachel's claims, they are slapped with a request for injunction just after the paper is printed for the day.
The Herald argues in front of a judge that the newspaper will lose a lot of money if an injunction were to be granted. Their arguments fail and the judge rules in favor of West's lawyers. Since West did accept responsibility for the loss that Herald would face, the fact that the story not only leaked to Post, but was carried by them on Page 1 on a later issue is what lands Amina in trouble. Not just any trouble, but the issue is serious enough for her to be called in front of the board members. She has, since the beginning of the show been dealing with the plummeting sales in comparison to Post and now this disaster only puts her further on the wrong side. Will Amina be fired?
The official episode synopsis reads, "Amina feels defeated in the immediate wake of the Joshua West scandal. Duncan gets unwelcome news from the Prime Minister. Leona is approached by a source with a particular interest in James. Peter’s support proves valuable to Amina, and Holly makes a bold move." This further adds to the theory that Amina's predicament might sway Holly further towards the Post.
For instance, at the end of episode 3, Amina tells Duncan Allen (Ben Chaplin), the Chief of Post, that she could lose her job. She also asks him about how he got wind of an exclusive story that they were working on. It is then that he tells Amina that the "opera job" she was offered would suit her better. He even tells her that it was he who had referred her to the job which further infuriates Amina. Amid all of this, Amina may not return as the Chief of Herald and that is what will drive the upcoming episodes. If Holly was conflicted about receiving the gifts Duncan had sent her way so far and had returned every one of them; without Amina, she may be tempted to cross over to the other side.
We will see more of this being explored in the upcoming episode that is set to air on PBS on Sunday at 9 pm.
