The Media

The role that the media plays in the lives of citizens is explored throughout the novel. While the majority of the novel is created by the narration of the three main characters as they are thrust into the investigation of Boney’s murder, the novel is also periodically broken up by transcripts taken from the Carlton High’s news program, Carlton Speaks, which is uploaded onto YouTube as the day goes on. Carlton Speaks acts as a device that allows the characters, who have skipped school and who spend most of the day running all around the state, to understand that their actions have implications back at school and in their real lives.

When the news about Boney’s murder first breaks out at the high school, Zack and Ishaan immediately create a new segment that presents their theories of the murder, which are unfounded...