News Services of Charted Space

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The News Services of Charted Space sell what is perhaps the most important commodity of all within Charted Space, which has always been and continues to remain: Information.

  • They are controlled and/or regulated by many different actors on the interstellar relations stage: polities, megacorporations, various sophont races, and vast array of interest groups.
  • All of these different actors hold different values, relationships with data, and priorities.
  • A few of these actors believe in traditional values of bringing the facts to the people to prepare them to make their own decisions.
  • Please see AAB article Communication Technologies of Charted Space for related information.

Please see the following AAB Library Data articles for more information:

Description (Specifications)

Even in a galaxy where FTL star travel is a way of life, information travels relatively slowly throughout Charted Space. Instantaneous communication, a long-held dream, has never been achieved by any known race. Thus communication is usually limited to the speed of packets, couriers, and other types of message-laden starships. Lesser frequented spaceways might only receive mail transmissions, physical mail packages or letters, and other communications once every few weeks through a Postal Union. While the more frequented trade routes most often receive messages several times a subjective Terran-standard 24-hour period (day).

Regardless, the great stretches of Charted Space are vast, and it can take months or even years for information to pass from one end of civilization to the other.

Major Holovid Network Providers

Among the best known Holovid networks and providers are:
Interstellar News Networks:

  1. Carnak News Database (CND)
  2. Coalition Information Network (CIN)
  3. Commonwealth News Service (CNS)
  4. Daryen News Network (DNN)
  5. Deneb Information Service (DIN)
  6. Eko Media (EKO)
  7. Expanses News Service (ENS)
  8. Express Boat Network (EBN)
  9. Llelish Interstellar Information Interchange (LIII)
  10. Imperial Courier Service (ICS)
  11. Imperial Data Network (IDN)
  12. Information Dissemination Services (INDISS)
  13. Interstellar News Association (INA)
  14. Sector Information and Data Dissemination Service (SIDDIS)
  15. Solomani Confederated News Service (SCNS)
  16. Sylean News Network (SNN)
  17. Terran Information Network (TIN)
  18. Traveller News Service (TNS)
  19. Vanguard Reaches Extra (VREX)
  20. Vilani News Network (VNN)

NOTES: They generally have influence over one or more sectors.

Minor Holovid Network Providers

Among the lesser known Holovid networks and providers are:
Interstellar News Networks:

  1. The Blue Sheet
  2. The Observer

NOTES: They generally have influence over less than one sector.

Periodicals of Charted Space

Magazines or Newspapers:

  1. Carnak's Surface Weapons
  2. The Emperor's Eye
  3. Mora World Review
  4. Phoenix Sun
  5. Travellers' Digest
  6. Utoland Gazette

Books of Charted Space

Books:

Well-known Charted Space Publications
Title / Author Synopsis Remarks
Almost Disaster by Albert Croale Historical Work, Imperial Discusses:
The Authentic Experience by Johann Kramm Cultural Work Discusses:
The Book of Larm by Makkhii Larm Philosophical Work, Religion Discusses:
The Bucherei Conundrum by Kethrin Virbek Adventure Account Discusses:
Carnak's Surface Weapons Ground Weaponry Guide Regularly published and updated guide book.
Codices of Aosoilte by Aosoilte Philosophical Work, Aslan Important to contemporary Aslan society.
Crowded Space by Ve Nu Last Travel Guide Regularly published and updated guide book.
Crowe's Encyclopaedia Xenobiologica Sophont Guide Regularly published and updated guide book.
A Deeper History by Middleton Rothery Adventure Account Discusses:
Dru'mhilla Manifesto by Ahaja Bucherei Political Manifesto Discusses:
  • Sentient Rights
  • Robot Rights
Encounter on Kaiid by Nelagid Marsid Adventure Account None
Hoard of the Sky Raiders by Jothan Messandi Adventure Account None
Lost Throne by Otis Adelbert Molitor Adventure Account None
The Port Authority Handbook Starport Guide Regularly published and updated guide book.
Shambhala by Mornal Bruton Adventure Account Discusses:
Ship Operating Manual (SOM) Starship User's Guide Every ship should come with one. Captains and pilots often append notes to them.
The Solomani Hypothesis by Magis Sergei haut-Devroe Philosophical Work, Humanity Theories Much discussed and controversial work.
Trane's Historical Cycles by Julian Trane Historical Work, Vilani Foundational Vilani literature.
The Travellers’ Aid Society Green List Starship Guide Regularly published and updated guide book.
The Traveller's Guide to Starships Starship Guide Regularly published and updated guide book.
Twilight's Peak Adventure Account Discusses:
Wiseman's Guide to Sophonts Sophont Guide Regularly published and updated guide book.

History & Background (Dossier)

Charted Space contains a vast variety of technological information systems. While standards exist, news is typically formatted into a number of different media based upon bandwith, locality, TL, and a variety of other criteria. Despite all of these differences, basic plaintext data bursts in common binary computer codes still predominate amongst news agencies using FTL starships for news transfer. These basic data transferences have the advantage of being usable by worlds of very different levels of technology mastery.

More complicated data involving sound, graphics, and video files can be added to these basic binary data bursts for the more prosperous markets that can afford larger and more expensive news data files.

  • For additional information, please see the following AAB article: News Media

Network Sizes & Polity Reach

News networks operate anywhere were there is a market to support them.

  • Even the largest networks can only move information at the speed of travel. Some news networks with adequate funding run X-boat-like systems to move news.
  • While most news data has broad appeal to most sophonts, entertainment programming is much more species and region specific. Some polities closely control the news and rigorously censor it.

They generally grow in the following sequence:

  1. Subplanetary News Networks (Sub-planetary: Balkanized)
  2. Planetary News Networks (Planetary: World-State)
  3. Subsector News Networks (Subsector: Pocket Empire)
  4. Sector News Networks (Sector: Interstellar Polity)
  5. Multi-Sector News Networks (Multi-Sector: Supra-Polity)
  6. Very Large Networks (Many Sectors: Large Supra-Polity)

Postal Unions

A Postal Union is a group of political units associated to a greater or lesser degree for the purpose of communication among citizens, businesses, and governmental units over interstellar distances.

  • They are more properly known as Interstellar Postal Unions.
  • Most Postal Unions are subsector in size or less.
  • Please see the AAB article Postal Union for more information.

Interstellar News Association

The Interstellar News Association is a cross-polity organization intending to promote the largely free flow of information across Charted Space.

References & Contributors (Sources)

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