It was the holiday season and Jacob was thoroughly enjoying the beautiful lights, window displays, and—most especially—his mom’s baking! As he walked home from school with his buddies, Zach and Cora, he could almost smell the delicious warm treats coming out of the oven!

There was only one thing Jacob enjoyed more than the holidays: photography. He loved taking candid photos, really capturing pups in their natural settings. To Jacob, there was something mysterious about photography. He could be a bit on the nosy side, so the idea of solving cases and presenting photo evidence was exciting to Jacob.

But the only mystery he wanted to solve today was just exactly what type of treat might be waiting for him at home!

A Sleuth with a Sweet Tooth

When he finally raced into the kitchen, he was disappointed that a fresh batch of snickerdoodles had already been dug into. It seemed that his siblings had gotten to them first. His little brothers, Johnny and Diego, had crumbs all over their faces. And his older sister Lola had just taken an especially huge bite. Jacob grabbed his camera and caught the whole messy scene in a single click. But as soon as she swallowed, Lola let out a loud screech, followed by “Mom, make him delete that!”

This was not a new occurrence in Jacob’s home. Ever since he got his beautiful new camera, he had been torturing his family members with his endless candid shots. His sister found his new hobby particularly annoying and had no problem expressing her opinion.

“Jacob, your sister’s right. Please delete the photo immediately and wash your paws,” said his mom crossly.

“All right, geez,” muttered Jacob as he removed the picture and headed toward the sink. “But there are hardly any cookies left. And did they lick the bowl too?!” he added with exasperation.

“There are plenty left, and I also thought this might interest you,” said his mom with a wink as she pulled a dough-covered spoon from behind her back.

“Thank you, Mom!” said Jacob before shoving the wooden spoon in his mouth.

Now all four pups giggled together with happy gluttony as they devoured the wonderful

treats.

That evening, Jacob finished his math homework and immediately drifted off to sleep. Between his classwork, his role as a photographer and writer for the school newspaper and his paper route, Jacob was one busy pup! He was a terrific student, always curious and anxious to learn more. But working on the school paper was his passion; he loved the thrill of uncovering information and hoped to be a journalist when he grew up.

Jacob was a kindhearted pup, and his dream was to shed light on issues impacting his community or even the world. His morning paper route not only provided him with extra money for his photography supplies, but by being an early bird, he figured he would be the first to spot a good story. Needless to say, Jacob could always be seen with his camera strapped over his shoulder.

A Kindred Spirit

Jacob’s friends were all supportive of his passion for journalism, but none of them were involved in it like he was. Emily sometimes helped him look things up in the library—she loved the library—and Cora was so aware of what was going on with everyone that she sometimes gave him ideas for stories. But sometimes he wished he had someone to talk to about reporting who understood the thrill of it.

One morning at school, Jacob noticed his classmate Freddy walk in with a red notebook in his paws. On the notebook was written the word “Articles.”

So Freddy was a reporter too!

Jacob nearly wiggled in his seat. He was so excited to ask Freddy about journalism that as soon as the bell rang, he jumped up and went right over to Freddy’s chair.

“Hey, Freddy, I noticed that your notebook says ‘Articles’ on it,” said Jacob. “I was

wondering—”

“Yeah,” said Freddy, taking a step back from Jacob. “Hey, listen, I need to go. My big brother is picking me up from school.”

“Okay,” said Jacob, feeling disappointed as he watched Freddy hurry out of class.

Why hadn’t Freddy wanted to talk to him? Jacob pondered the question as he trotted out of the classroom. “Maybe his older brother is kind of mean,” thought Jacob. “Maybe he didn’t want to make him wait at all.”

Deciding that must be it, Jacob caught sight of his friends and hurried to catch up to them.

In Search of the Next Big Story

Lately, Jacob’s news articles weren’t as thrilling as he would have liked. There was the “mystery meat” story, which Jacob had solved through interviews with the lunch ladies. As it turned-out, the mystery “meat” actually consisted of bean patties (which explained Jacob’s flatulence every time “Mystery Meat Day” came around!). Then there was the story about the pup who fell off the of bars at recess and twisted her paw, but was now recuperating well. And there was the case of Tess’s missing necklace, which was found in the girl’s bathroom. And, in his most recent story, Jacob wrote about the debate over what to name Mr. Flock’s new clownfish. “Bobo” was the final winner.

The photos Jacob provided for each of these stories were excellent and the journalism teacher, Ms. Weber, was pleased with his work. Yet, Jacob yearned for something deeper. A real story he could sink his fangs into.

The next morning was especially crisp. As he was delivering the paper, Jacob saw

Freddy walking next to an older pup who looked a lot like him. Jacob thought that must be Freddy’s older brother—and the older pup did look kind of intimidating.

“No wonder Freddy wanted to rush off yesterday,” Jacob thought.

He found it awfully strange that Freddy and his brother should be out walking around so early in the morning. It was still dark after all.

Jacob parked his bike and continued to watch the two pups. He noticed that the older one was carrying a bag and picking up trash off the streets. He used some sort of metal thing to grasp the garbage and then placed it in his bag.

“Hmm…” contemplated Jacob, who found the situation kind of interesting. “Looks like we have a model citizen in our class. They sure are nice to get up at the crack of dawn to make our community better,” he thought to himself.

It still wasn’t the story of the century, but Jacob decided it was the perfect “feel good” piece for the holiday season. And, best of all, he was sure to get Freddy’s attention this way! If he wrote a story featuring Freddy in the school newspaper, Freddy would know that Jacob was also a reporter. They would be able to talk about it together!

Jacob was about to pedal forward and ask them if he could take a picture of them for the school newspaper, but then he glanced at his watch and decided he was in too much of a hurry.

“I’m sure they won’t mind,” Jacob said. “Everyone wants their picture in the paper!”

He snapped a few pictures of the two pups and peddled off to his next house.

When Jacob arrived at school later that day, he wrote up a quick story about Freddy and submitted his photos. He then went about his school day as usual. Jacob spent recess kicking the soccer ball around with his pals Zach, Emily and Felix. When Jacob saw Freddy, who loved soccer, approach the group, he said, “Hey Freddy, I saw you picking up garbage this morning. Good for you! Was that your brother?”

Freddy stopped in his tracks. He looked uncomfortable again.

“Um, yeah,” he muttered uncomfortably. “Oh, I forgot something!” added Freddy as he ran off in the other direction. Jacob wondered why Freddy was still acting distant, but his friends just looked at each other and shrugged, followed by Emily scoring a goal and letting out a big “Who Hoo!”

An Unexpected Outcome

The school newspaper always came out on Thursdays during lunch. When Jacob grabbed a copy, he was excited to see his stories in print. This week was a little slow, but he immediately noticed his article about the school’s annual holiday bake-off. He covered this story last year too, and really enjoyed photographing the scrumptious goodies for sale to benefit the disaster relief fund. Plus, he always charmed his way into a free cookie!

His other story showed Freddy and his brother walking along Fourth Street as the older pup was putting garbage in a bag. The story headline was “Pine Grove Pups Keeping the Community Clean,” and Freddy’s name was listed in the first line.

“Perfect!” thought Jacob as he walked into the cafeteria munching on an apple.

Jacob, Zach and a few other pups sat at one of the long tables while digging into their lunches and debating the best video game on the market. Jacob noticed that Freddy was carrying his lunch tray toward the garbage when a pup from the far end of the cafeteria yelled, “Hey, Garbage Boy, don’t forget my trash too!”

Freddy paused, turning a deep shade of red.

“Yeah, I’m talking to you, Garbage Boy!” yelled the pup again.

The cafeteria was eerily silent and all eyes were on Freddy, who set down his tray and quickly headed out the door.

“Oh no!” said Jacob glumly. This was the last thing he wanted to happen!

“What’s going on?” asked Zach, but Jacob only shook his head as he finished his lunch.

When he went to look for Freddy later that day, he was nowhere to be found. Jacob felt terrible; clearly the story he wrote had backfired for poor Freddy, who was already a quiet pup who didn’t have many friends. Jacob wasn’t even able to enjoy his after-school snack when he got home, which worried his mom a bit. Instead, Jacob claimed to have a headache and hung out on his bed worrying about Freddy for the rest of the evening.

Things Just Keep Getting Worse

The next day at school, things progressed as usual. Mr. Flock showed-up with mismatched shoes—which the pups found hilarious—and someone clogged the boys’ bathroom, yet again. Jacob barely saw Freddy, since Freddy sat in the back of the class and was especially quiet that day. Jacob planned to apologize to him at lunch, but he never got the chance. At 11:30, Principal Zoober’s assistant entered the classroom and asked Jacob to come with her.

As he gathered-up his things, the other pups teased him, saying, “Uh oh, someone’s in trouble…” But, of course, Mr. Flock put an immediate end to the commentary, with “That’s quite enough, pups. You need only be concerned with yourselves.” The pups quieted down, but Jacob’s friends were worried about what was going on, especially

Cora, who was one of Jacob’s closest and most caring friends.

When Jacob arrived at the principal’s office, he was really nervous. He’d never been in trouble before, much less seen the inside of the principal’s office. Mr. Zoober seemed pretty nice, but Jacob was also a little of afraid of him. He was tall and strong looking, like maybe he played football when he was younger. And he had a deep voice, and his facial expression was enough to intimidate even the most rebellious pups.

Jacob was ushered into the big office, which was actually a pleasant place with two large windows and pale green walls. The room smelled like the Earl Grey tea Jacob’s dad liked and there were all sorts of cool photographs framed on the walls.

As he looked around, Jacob saw images of colorful parrots, mountain landscapes and vibrantly-colored sunflower fields. Being an amateur photographer himself, Jacob was in awe of the beautiful photographs. But, before he could comment on them, he also noticed Ms. Weber, the school’s chief newspaper editor, seated across from Mr. Zoober’s desk.

“Hello, Jacob, please take a seat,” said Mr. Zoober.

“Hello, Jacob,” added Ms. Weber with less enthusiasm than usual.

Jacob could feel the lump in his throat growing by the second.

A Lesson About Journalistic Integrity

“So, Jacob, you are here today to discuss one of your recent articles in the paper,” said Mr. Zoober. When Mr. Zoober looked toward Ms. Weber, she began to speak.

“That’s right. You submitted a story about Freddy Carelli and his brother earlier this week, right?” she said.

“Um, yeah,” replied Jacob.

“Well, I’m afraid that Freddy and his family are quite displeased with your story. Mr. Zoober received a call from Freddy’s mom yesterday and I’ve also had a visit from Freddy. He asked me to remove the story and all of the papers. And he was quite upset,” explained Ms. Weber.

“I know Freddy was teased at lunch and called names. I feel so bad,” said Jacob softly.

Jacob startled a little when Mr. Zoober abruptly chimed in, saying, “It’s not just about the teasing, which will never be tolerated at Pine Grove. It’s about the story itself. Jacob, did Freddy give you permission to take a photo and write a story about him?”

As both Mr. Zoober and Ms. Weber were staring at him, Jacob was overcome with shame. He knew he had taken the shot without much thought and rushed to get the article written. He’d wanted to get Freddy’s attention, but he hadn’t even checked to see if the story he’d written was true.

“No, I didn’t. I’m really sorry,” said Jacob.

Ms. Weber then added, “I’m surprised at you, Jacob. You’re normally much more careful. Not only did you take a photo of Freddy without his permission, but you also took an unauthorized photo of Freddy’s brother. And you misrepresented the story. What is the first rule in journalism?” she asked.

“The first rule is truth,” answered Jacob as he hung his head down.

“That’s right,” said Ms. Weber, who now looked at him warmly. “I know you made a mistake; we all do. Just remember to always fact-check your stories and request permission from anyone involved. And also remember that every story matters.”

“Yes, I will. I promise,” said Jacob.

“I have deleted the story from our website, and our newspaper crew has gathered as many papers as we can find. In the meantime, please apologize to Freddy and re-read

the Pine Grove News’s Writer Code of Conduct,” said Ms. Weber as she handed him a few stapled papers. “Please sign the bottom and return it to me when you’re done,” she added.

Jacob put the papers in his backpack, saying, “I’m really sorry; it will never happen again.”

And with that, Ms. Weber said, “I know it won’t. You’re one of my best journalists.”

Both adults shook Jacob’s paw before he headed off to lunch in a daze. He didn’t feel like seeing any of his friends, so he sat outside and ate on a bench, despite the chilly day.

Jacob’s New Plan

That evening, Jacob told his parents what had happened. They had already told him to stop taking pictures at home without permission, but they didn’t have the heart to scold him—he was already so upset and had clearly learned a lesson. Instead, they helped him brainstorm about how to make things better.

They all agreed that Jacob should apologize, not only to Freddy, but also to Freddy’s brother. Jacob thought he should give them a gift of some sort.

As he looked over at the family’s dessert, Jacob said, “I know. I can bring him some of your famous snickerdoodles!”

Jacob’s mom smiled and said, “But, Jacob, why should I make cookies when it was you who made the mistake?”

“Oh, yeah, I guess so,” Jacob muttered.

“But perhaps you could make something to bring to the family?” said his dad.

“Well, last year I did make delicious gingerbread cookies,” said Jacob hopefully.

“You sure did!” said his mom. “And I would be glad to assist you,” she added.

Jacob suddenly felt better; he had a plan! As his mom grabbed her apron, they got to work in the kitchen.

Jacob was tired the next morning as he had stayed up late baking. But he was also pleased with the four irresistible batches of delicious gingerbread pups he had created. Two batches had been carefully placed into one of his mom’s best holiday tins. Jacob was proud of his gift and really hoped it would help. But he also was worried that Freddy’s brother might not like gingerbread—and might even throw the cookies back in his face. Jacob was not used to being around teenagers—they made him uncomfortable. But he took a deep breath and plodded off to school with the tin carefully placed in his backpack.

When he was eating lunch that day with his buddies, they noticed he was a little more chipper. Zach thought the cookies were a terrific idea and offered to taste one—“Just to make sure they were okay.” Cora offered to go with Jacob to Freddy’s house after school as moral support. But, while he appreciated her kindness, Jacob said this was something he needed to do on his own—no matter how scary it was.

The pups all looked up as they noticed Freddy in the cafeteria. The boys who had teased him didn’t call him names, but Jacob could hear them snickering as Freddy tossed his garbage in the can. Jacob suddenly felt awful again.

“Don’t worry,” consoled Cora, “they will forget about this as soon as something new happens.”

Jacob knew she was right, but he still felt lousy.

Apologies and Peace Offerings

For the first time in Jacob’s life, school flew by. Jacob was terribly anxious about what he had to do, but as soon as the bell rang, he gathered his stuff and walked slowly toward Freddy’s neighborhood—making sure Freddy got there first.

As he saw the white house ahead of him, Jacob felt a little sick. But he tried to remind himself that newspaper reporters had to conduct all sorts of difficult interviews, so this was good practice. He rang the doorbell and waited.

When Freddy opened the door, he looked at Jacob and said, “What do you want?”

“I…um, I just…,” stuttered Jacob nervously.

“Who is it?” said Freddy’s mom, standing behind Freddy. “Oh, hello, Jacob,” she said, recognizing him from various school functions. “Please come in.”

Freddy looked annoyed and said, “Are you here to call me ‘Garbage Boy’ or to take more pics without asking?”

Suddenly, Freddy’s older brother appeared. He was tall, with a mohawk and braces. “Did someone say ‘Garbage Boy?’” he asked sarcastically.

“What’s going on; why are you boys being so rude?” said the boys’ mom sternly. “Come in and sit on the couch, Jacob. Would you like some juice?” she offered.

“No, thank you, Mrs. Carelli,” said Jacob as he took a seat. “I’m here to tell Freddy how

sorry I am for taking that photo and writing the story for the paper. I should never have done that without both of your permissions,” said Jacob, looking over at Freddy’s brother. “I…I, um, I thought you were doing such a nice thing and I wanted to share, but I was wrong,” said Jacob with utmost sincerity. “And I want to give you this,” he added, pulling the tin out of his backpack and handing it to Freddy.

Freddy opened it and the irritated expression on his face softened.

“Did you make these? How lovely,” said Freddy’s mom.

But before Jacob could answer, both Freddy and his brother had stuffed their mouths with cookies. The boys thanked Jacob and seemed less angry by the end of the visit; the cookies definitely helped. Jacob’s steps felt lighter as he headed home.

Mr. Zoober’s Big Idea

The next days at school were better for Jacob. Although he read the News’s Writer Code of Conduct three times and returned it to Ms. Weber, he hadn’t found any more stories.

Cora was right about the gossip dying down. At lunchtime, the attention was no longer on Freddy. Given her projectile barf during a school assembly, Sheila Snuffgard was now on the hotseat.

“Poor Shelia,” thought Jacob, hoping her teasing would soon pass too.

About a week after Jacob visited Freddy’s house, something worrisome happened. Mr. Zoober saw Jacob after lunch and asked him to come to his office.

Jacob’s heart sunk. “What now?” he thought as he nervously followed the principal

down the hall. Jacob took a seat in the same spot as before.

“Thank you for coming,” said Mr. Zoober. “Would you like a candy?” he offered, pointing to a candy dish on the table.

“Okay, thank you,” said Jacob, grabbing a cherry sucker for later.

“So, I noticed you were looking at my photos earlier,” said Mr. Zoober looking around the room.

“Oh, yes, Mr. Zoober. They are magnificent!”

“Well, thank you. You know, I used to work for the newspaper when I was a pup too. But now I enjoy photographing nature, especially birds,” he said, pointing to the parrots.

As Jacob stared at the magnificent macaws, the door opened and Mr. Flock entered with Freddy.

“Ah, there they are. Come in, come in,” said Mr. Zoober as Jacob was feeling increasingly confused. “So, I’ve invited the three of you here because it seems that both of you pups are interested in journalism. Freddy was a writer at his old school and, of course, Jacob works on the paper here at Pine Grove. So, I had an idea,” said Mr. Zoober animatedly. “Mr. Flock and I have a field trip planned for the two of you,” said Mr. Zoober as Mr. Flock gave the boys a conspiring wink. “Next Monday, you two boys will be spending your school day downtown at the Pine Grove Times newspaper building; how does that sound? And, don’t worry, I’ve already checked with your parents. As long as you agree to make-up your schoolwork, there’s no problem. It will be like a brief internship into the newspaper world. What do you say? I mean, of course, if you hate to miss school, I can always cancel it…?”

Both Freddy and Jacob said simultaneously, “No, we don’t mind!”

“Great,” said Mr. Zoober.

“I have a buddy at the newspaper,” added Mr. Flock, who had actually set things up. “I will drive you there first thing Monday morning.”

The boys were thrilled as they left the office and headed back to class.

“Extra, Extra, Read All About It…”

The following Monday, Jacob was so excited he could barely contain himself! He wore his best shirt and the red beret his aunt had sent him from Paris. And his mom packed him an extra delicious lunch.

When Mr. Flock arrived to pick him up, Freddy was already in the car. The boys said “Hello” as they rode together in the back seat. “What am I, a chauffeur?” joked Mr. Flock, who turned on the radio and began singing along to an old song, which made the pups crack up.

“Here we are!” said Mr. Flock, pulling up to a big building.

When he escorted them inside, a fast-moving guy came over and said, “Good morning. You must be my junior reporters! I’m Doug; welcome to the team!”

Jacob looked around the giant room; it was everything he had imagined—and more. He heard multiple people typing away on their computers, while others were chatting on the phone. He saw cameras of all types and grown-up pups bustling about this way and that. The room, which smelled of coffee and paper, was practically vibrating with energy—and Jacob absolutely loved it!

As the boys shadowed Doug throughout the day, they observed him interview a lady who, at 102, was the oldest resident of Pine Grove. They watched him photograph a new homeless shelter after speaking to its director. And, best of all, they watched him interview the sheriff about the department’s new police squad cars. Importantly, every time Doug conducted an interview or took a photo, he asked permission.

It was an action-packed and wonderful day that neither boy would ever forget. Once they said “Thank you and goodbye” to Doug, the boys sat outside on a bench waiting for their parents to pick them up.

“What a great day!” said Jacob. “I really am sorry about what I did,” he added. “Part of why I did it was so that you’d know I was interested in journalism too. I wanted to be friends with you.”

“It’s okay,” said Freddy. “I’m sorry I didn’t stay to talk to you after class that day, but people at my old school used to tease me about being a reporter. I thought you were going to do that.”

“I would never tease anyone about journalism,” said Jacob, horrified.

Freddy grinned. “Yeah, I believe that now. You know, my brother wasn’t actually picking up trash out of the goodness of his heart. He got in trouble and was doing community service. That’s why he didn’t want anyone to know. Well, neither did I; it’s embarrassing,” said Freddy.

“Oh wow, I didn’t know…” said Jacob.

“That’s all right, but please don’t tell anyone what I just told you,” said Freddy.

Feeling honored that Freddy now trusted him with this big secret, Jacob knew he would never tell a soul. The two boys had formed a bond that day and Jacob had learned so much, not just about being a truthful and careful journalist, but about being a good friend.

“Your story is 100 percent safe with me!” said Jacob, firmly shaking Freddy’s hand.

And, indeed it was.

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