Ignoble (adjective): dishonorable, shameful

The rain draped over her like a funeral veil.

At first she was motionless. Then, as the chill began to seep through her thin clothing, her body began to quiver uncontrollably with unbearable cold and a sense of defeat.

She’d somehow lost the case.

The young journalist had discovered dangerous chemicals being released into the town’s new pool and immediately published an article with her critical findings. To the untrained eye, nothing was amiss in the grand opening, but she had a background in chemical sciences.

She took samples from the contaminated water. She sent them for analysis. She compiled detailed records of the substance breakdown. All was presented to the public with meticulous work and her passionate urgency.

The pool company shut her down in the blink of an eye.

Suddenly, they hired nameless researchers who re-ran the water tests and produced entirely different results. With the PR department pulling several strings in their community, she was labeled as a liar who faked evidence just to earn a name for herself as a journalist. And the townspeople bought their story.

Watching the storm clouds gather over the new pool, she wondered who was truly dishonorable: herself or her entire town?