Corporate propaganda. Columnist crusaders. Slaves to subscriptions and ad dollars. Gossip rags and bottom feeders. Information is one of the hottest commodities bought, sold, bartered, and extorted in the city, and unbiased sources are in finite supply. There’s news, and then the real news. Facts, and then the truth.
THE WDN: Though not an official news source, the WDN is a deep well of data. Ask your Digital Companion any question, from the specs of the latest Spinner to the local weather, and your DiJi will provide whatever insights it can mine from its private data network. You can’t prove that the WDN subtly monitors and filters data to suit their own agenda, but you can’t disprove it either.
TV : Not everybody owns a TV, but everybody knows some body who does. Few pay for the premium channels, but the UN-funded public feeds deliver enough popcorn and local news to keep people glued to their tubes. As the top periodicals cover mostly colonial news, many use the local TV news to keep tabs on the city. Sure, the UN puts their spin on things, but it’s still got two fingers on the pulse.
PERIODICALS : Newsstands are the #1 source of information, offering a wide selection of newspapers, magazines, and local zines. Major publications like Moni and the Independent Sentinel report on big business and UN events with award-winning journalistic integrity. Other periodicals cover just about any industry, hot topic, or cultural obsession, while gossip rags and local zines spread rumors and conspiracy theories, some less far-fetched than others.
Since the megacorps own the WDN and TV networks, periodicals have risen in cultural value and credibility as they aggressively seek out truth, root out corruption, and publish the “real” news with abandon. Zines have especially
reclaimed the streets, shedding light on peoples and political perspectives overlooked by the mainstream. News racks are an intriguing lens into what’s really going on in the city, and the elderly man in that shoddy kiosk may know the juiciest gossip and every information broker in the city. Your relationships with him and the various news sources may help or hurt you, depending upon the reputation you build and bridges you burn. You wouldn’t be the first cop to make a headline.