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Zodiac · 2007 — Chapter 3 of 30 · 5'06" · B2

Zodiac's Cipher Reaches the Chronicle, Explained: shed light on

A coded letter from the Zodiac lands on a newsroom desk, and the staff argues over what to do with it. One side calls it "newsworthy"; the other warns they would be setting a very dangerous precedent by printing a killer's demands. Meanwhile, the cipher is photographed and sent to the police.

What happens

The San Francisco Chronicle receives a letter signed with a gunsight symbol and a cipher that claims to hide the killer's identity. Editors debate whether running it is newsworthy or sets a dangerous precedent, then photograph the code and call the SFPD. A history teacher and his wife later crack it.

MeetingsInvestigationExplainingPersuadingCoworkersB2mediumamerican
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Listen for

shed light ontake a gander atset a very dangerous precedentgive it a go

00:00 / 05:06
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  1. ❝ MonologueWeekend kill deadline5 linesPractice page ↗
  71. ❝ MonologueThe hunter's plaintext6 linesPractice page ↗
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Phrase of the scene

shed light on

to explain or clarify something

记者艾弗里打电话给瓦列霍警局，说想找个人把刚收到的那封奇怪来信解释清楚。

Could you shed some light on how the file went missing?

Also in this scene

  • take a gander at

    to take a look at something

  • set a very dangerous precedent

    to create a risky example for the future

  • give it a go

    to try something

Everything marked in this scene

36 notes across 76 lines

Phrase · C1go on a killing rampageF-R-Y, "First ofAug '69 I will go on a kill rampage Fry night.
Phrase · B1cruise around"I will cruise around all weekend killing lone people in the night "then move on to kill again
Phrase · B1end up with something"until I end up with a dozen people over the weekend."
Grammar · B2until I end up with a dozen people

clause with until

"until I end up with a dozen people over the weekend."
Phrase · A2except for somethingIt's unsigned except for a symbol.
Soundexcept for

liaison

It's unsigned except for a symbol.
Phrase · A2look like somethingIs it me, or does that look like a gunsight?
Phrase · B2the afternoon editionHe wants his code in the afternoon edition.
Phrase · C1have the balls to do somethingIf the Examinerdoesn't have the balls to run it, we scoop the Bay.
Phrase · C1scoop someoneIf the Examinerdoesn't have the balls to run it, we scoop the Bay.
Grammar · B2have the balls to run it

have the nerve to do something

If the Examinerdoesn't have the balls to run it, we scoop the Bay.
Slang · C1the ballsIf the Examinerdoesn't have the balls to run it, we scoop the Bay.
Phrase · B2set a dangerous precedent

to create a risky example for the future

If we run it, we might be setting a very dangerous precedent.
Grammar · B2we might be setting

modal with progressive

If we run it, we might be setting a very dangerous precedent.
Phrase · C1give someone a soapboxWell, giving some sick bastard a soapbox,
Slang · C1sick bastardWell, giving some sick bastard a soapbox,
Phrase · B1back upBack up. Is this Vallejo story true? Do we know that?
Phrase · B1shoot somethingLet's shoot the code and call SFPD.
Phrase · B1turn out to be somethingIf it turns out to be real, at least we'll have the material.
Phrase · B2shed light on something

to explain or clarify something

I'm looking for someone to shed some light on a letter we received.
Soundshed some light on

liaison

I'm looking for someone to shed some light on a letter we received.
Phrase · B1check if ...I just wanted to check if you had an unsolved firearm-related homicide on Christmas and maybe one on July fourth.
Phrase · B2on lover's laneChristmas, two teenagers on lover's lane. Both DOA.
Slang · B2DOAChristmas, two teenagers on lover's lane. Both DOA.
Phrase · B1go with itI mean, I think the Times-Herald's gonna go with it.
Phrase · B2go front pageThe Examiner's going, but won't go front page.
Phrase · B1give someone a secGive us a sec.
Slang · A2jammiesNow go get yourjammies on.
Phrase · C1take a gander at something

to take a look at something

-Hey, take a gander at this code thing. -Okay.
Phrase · B1give it a go

to try something

You wanna give it a go?
Phrase · A2by the wayYou were right, by the way. He didn't give his name.
Grammar · B1more fun than killing wild game

comparative with more than

"It is more fun than killing wild game in the forest
Phrase · B2the most dangerous ... of all"because man is the most dangerous animal of all to kill.
Phrase · C1get one's rocks off"It is even better than getting your rocks off with a girl.
Soundgetting your rocks off

liaison

"It is even better than getting your rocks off with a girl.
Slang · C1getting your rocks off"It is even better than getting your rocks off with a girl.

Zodiac's Cipher Reaches the Chronicle, explained

What's really going on

The newsroom argument is a preview of the film's central tension: whether to report what a killer wants the world to see. One editor insists the letter is simply "newsworthy"; another asks what it says to people when you hand "some sick bastard a soapbox." The cipher matters because it turns the Zodiac into a collaborator in his own coverage, and every printing gives him the audience he is demanding. Yet not printing is also a choice, and the letter makes that plain by threatening a kill rampage if the deadline is missed. The scene shows journalists deciding, in real time, how much of a story belongs to the public and how much belongs to the man who wrote it.

Theme

PowerA newsroom decides how much attention to give a killer, and that choice becomes leverage.
SecretsThe Zodiac hides his identity in a cipher and makes the press ask who he really is.

What you'll learn

  • Hear scoop as a news exclusive
  • Catch the pun in shoot the code
  • Use shed light on to ask for facts
  • Treat soapbox as a public platform

Listen for

  • except for — liaison
  • shed some light on — liaison
  • getting your rocks off — liaison
"I like killing people because it is so much fun.

The deciphered confession, in which the killer frames murder as entertainment, which is exactly why publishing it is so controversial.

"The best part of it is that when I die, "I will be reborn in paradise.

The cipher's closing boast, mixing murder with a promise of paradise, giving the letter its unsettling self-assurance.

"I will cruise around all weekend killing lone people in the night "then move on to kill again

The threat to roam and shoot strangers over a weekend if the papers refuse his demand.

Christmas, two teenagers on lover's lane. Both DOA.

The cold police summary of an earlier double killing, matching the details the letter claimed.

Questions about this scene

Why does the newsroom hesitate to print the cipher?

Printing it could reward the killer with attention and set a precedent for publishing a criminal's demands, even though the letter is undeniably news.

Why does the letter pressure the papers with a deadline?

The killer sets an August first deadline and threatens a weekend killing spree if the cipher is not printed, which makes the decision feel urgent.

How did the police connect the letter to earlier crimes?

Avery checks whether Vallejo had unsolved Christmas and July fourth shootings, and ballistics and the letter's details line up, confirming the link.

Who eventually breaks the cipher?

A history teacher and his wife in Salinas crack it, revealing the phrase about liking to kill people because it is so much fun.

Zodiac · 30 chapters

All chapters →
Up next · Chapter 4get any ideasZodiac Attacks the Couple at the Lake
Chapter 1creep someone outDarlene Ferrin's Last DriveChapter 2I wouldn't kid youThe Zodiac Confession CallWatching · Chapter 3shed light onZodiac's Cipher Reaches the ChronicleChapter 4get any ideasZodiac Attacks the Couple at the LakeChapter 5a hell of a get-upZodiac's Lake Berryessa AttackChapter 6flag a cabThe Presidio Cab MurderChapter 7did inZodiac Claims the Taxi MurderChapter 8skip townPolice Bicker Over the Zodiac CaseChapter 9at a moment's noticeZodiac Calls the TV Talk ShowChapter 10crack the codeBelli Tries to Catch the ZodiacChapter 11What's your angle?Graysmith Cracks the Zodiac CipherChapter 12the more the merrierKathleen Johns Escapes the ZodiacChapter 13come out of the woodworkGraysmith Finds the Zodiac's SourceChapter 14in my gutGraysmith Talks Zodiac on a DateChapter 15beat the bushesRiverside Investigators Compare NotesChapter 16lost in the shuffleThe Informant Describes Leigh AllenChapter 17the whole pointPolice Question Arthur Leigh AllenChapter 18greener pasturesPolice Question Leigh Allen's MotherChapter 19home turfPolice Build a Case Against AllenChapter 20tore out of herePolice Search Allen's TrailerChapter 21holding the bagBill Transfers Out of the ChronicleChapter 22fade into a footnoteGraysmith Pitches a Zodiac BookChapter 23yesterday's newsGraysmith Talks His Way InChapter 24more than just a coincidenceGraysmith Follows the Birthday ClueChapter 25tread lightlyGraysmith Chases Rick MarshallChapter 26blow overThe Letter That Framed ToschiChapter 27put yourself out thereGraysmith Chases the Case at HomeChapter 28get it in your headGraysmith Meets the Theater OwnerChapter 29the date that didn't endLinda Recalls the Painting PartyChapter 30cancel each other outRobert Confronts Dave About Allen
Chapter 3 of 30 · about 136 min to go