Danna sauntered into the lounge and found Gabriel chuckling over her computer console. "Well, just popped us into hyperspace. We ought to hit Gyndine in a couple of hours. It's late in the season, but hopefully their grain market can stand one more hold full of denta beans." He looked down over her shoulder and glanced at the lines scrolling up her screen. "What's new on the NewsNets, Gabby?"
Gabby rolled her eyes and snickered. "Oh, not much, really. Snowmen crashing parties on freedom-loving worlds everywhere, a tariff increase on Brentaal has put imports in the can, bad year for hemmel crops on Delle II, and would you believe Serra Hailey is trying to revive her holo career?"
Danna chuckled. "So? What's got you chortling?"
Gabby winked up at him. Nahhhh. Ran into an old smuggler pal turned code dealer at the spaceport, and got him to sell me this month's access codes to the big CYN." Danna looked blankly at her. Gabby sighed in exasperation. "You know, Cynabar's InfoNet. Strictly blackmarket node outta Nar Shaddaa. Ring a bell?"
Danna raised his eyebrows in dawning comprehension, and whistled. Hoo boy, Gabby ... you mean we're plugged in?"
"Yeah, that's what I mean, sport, and big time. With a CYN code dealer in pocket, the sky's the limit!" Gabby rose, cracking her knuckles with satisfaction. "Why don't you talk the nav computer into rerouting us out to Lan Barell? Word has it that Lommite is going real cheap out there, no questions asked. And besides," she said, pulling him close for a quick kiss," if we dump the beans, we might be able to pack in enough Lommite to pay off this crate on one run ..."
"Crate?"
The galaxy is a big and busy place. With millions of inhabited worlds interacting in a complex dance of commerce, diplomacy, and politics, the need for the exchange of reliable and timely information is obvious. Despite various restrictions and barriers placed upon the communication networks of the Empire, news organizations and computer networks play a gargantuan role in keeping the citizens of the Empire informed about the universe around them. Naturally, not all news is accurate, but there are alternative networks that speak to a sector of the body politic not entirely satisfied with the Imperial side of the story.
This article discusses some of the ways news is distributed in the galaxy, provides a sampling of news networks that produce newsfiles, and shows how player characters can access these newsfiles, and how gamemasters can produce and use them. Finally, it introduces a new feature of the Star Wars Adventure Journal that will provide a regular diet of newsfiles.
In the days of the Old Republic, the HoloNet used hyperspace technology to provide real-time links between all points of the inhabited galaxy, allowing the free exchange of information, images, and ideas. The infrastructure allowing such communication, made up of huge computer sorters and decoders, was incredibly complicated and expensive to maintain, but various governments and corporations subsidized it, since it was the HoloNet that helped hold the Old Republic together. The bandwidth of the HoloNet allowed millions of general broadcasts and encoded messages to flit from world to world in a blink of an eye.
Soon after coming to power, Emperor Palpatine discovered that a great deal of communication hostile to the New Order was taking place on the HoloNet, and that news of Imperial atrocities was reaching the Core even as he brought the outlying systems forcefully into the fold. He shut it down with little warning, maintaining only a skeleton network for use by his military machine. This threw the young Empire into chaos, but Palpatine now controlled the distribution of information.
Naturally, Palpatine's drastic measures did not shut down the flow of information for long. the fastest ships commercially available were quickly outfitted with sophisticated broadcasting gear, and sent up and down the trade corridors, system by system, reverting from hyperspace only long enough to uplink and downlink huge message packets before moving on. The first of these courier shuttles were sent out by trading firms, financial exchanges, and governments.
As fully automated hyperspace-capable courier droids began to replace the shuttles, the major HoloNet networks resumed broadcasting, although now with a perceptible timelag between initial transmission and endpoint reception. An ancient method of communication was being rediscovered, one not entirely controlled by the Empire — a loose conglomeration of sanctioned and pirate networks collectively known as the NewsNets.
Note: In the New Republic era, the HoloNet has been restored in territories controlled by the New Republic, though it is still reserved for high-level military and diplomatic transmissions. Some Imperial-held areas have lost access to the HoloNet entirely.
While the term "NewsNets" might suggest a centrally organized and orderly reincarnation of the HoloNet, the information distribution systems that has grown up in its place is an unruly, chaotic mess. To be sure, the end user is presented with a neat package of newsfiles to choose from. But on the distribution end, there are hundreds of thousands of networks, news agencies, and distributors, all of which deliver their message packets at different times and at different locations in any given system.
When a courier droid pod emerges from hyperspace, the droid broadcasts its message packets to a prearranged target location in a tight beam transmission. The target location might be a communications station on a planet in the system, or a relay bouy orbiting its star. Not every courier droid will beam its packets to the same location, since there are a number of distributors who maintain news services.
As the message packets are received, the local uplink stations send the droid that system's message packets (encrypted to prevent tampering), for immediate broadcasting farther down the pipeline, or (more often), for delivery to the intergalactic news organizations for distributive under their masthead.
The received message packets are stored in the receiver's computers, then transferred to other insystem computer networks that subscribe to the NewsNets, such as community computers, university systems, and corporate computers. Many of the services provided by the NewsNets are not aimed at end consumers, but local networks, businesses, and financial institutions. Some of its files are two-dimensional and three-dimensional images, intended for use by the local networks in their own broadcasts. Other services, many of them providing millions of newsfiles on a myriad of subjects in a text file format, are available to everyone.
Local networks, those based in individual star systems, operate much as they did in the days of the HoloNet. A network of subspace relays broadcasts two- and three-dimensional images in real-time throughout the system, with none of the time-delay associated with the NewsNets.
The local networks meet most consumer needs through newscasts, sports programs, entertainment programs, and such. Where contemporary local broadcasts differ from those in hte days of the HoloNet is in the reception of out-system newsfeeds from the NewsNets. These broadcasts are subject to the time delay imposed by courier droid movements. This news can be hours, days, or weeks old, depending on the distance from the original uplink the message has traveled.
Private citizens who use the NewsNets do not generally downlink the message packets directly from the courier droids. Instead, they log onto private or public computers and use either a household computer or droid to scan the thousands of newsfeeds for items of interest to the household's inhabitants. The selected newsfiles can then be sorted and read on the monitor or datapad.
The message packets can be directly intercepted by those with the proper access codes, but the transmission must be intercepted en route to its target location and unscrambled. The memory required for storage of all the incoming information is enormous, utterly beyond mere droids and most ship computers.
Average citizens do not delve too deeply into the NewsNets. They tend to let the local networks cull through the courier droid transmissions to find the most interesting intergalactic stories. According to interest, profession, and world of origin, however, an Imperial citizen may also choose to receive an intergalactic newsfeed, or a local newsfeed from another world.
There are thousands of license networks using the NewsNets, ranging from the old HoloNet news agencies and government, political, and Imperial feeds, to corporations and trade organizations. Some are universally available, some are regional services, while others are limited in distribution to a few systems.
Among the established intergalactic news agencies are Galaxy News Service and Imperial HoloVision. These networks have bureaus on all Core worlds, and in most systems on the major trade routes. In addition, they accept freelance work from smaller local networks throughout the Empire. TriNebulon News and NovaNetwork are examples of regional agencies, and are known for their tabloid, sensational approach to news. More details on TriNebulon News, NovaNetwork, and Imperial HoloVision can be found in Chapter 11 of Galaxy Guide 9: Fragments from the Rim.
Other license networks represent corporations. When Ubrikkian Transports announces the debut of a new hovervan, or new stock options available to investors, it places a press release into its newsfeed transmission. This is the only form of promotion possible on the NewsNets, though local networks air ads on their holo channels.
Organizations of all sorts have NewsNet access, and offer a wide range of newsfiles and magazines. The New Order Party's daily newsfeed, the New Order Progressive, presents pro-Imperial commentary to party members and interested non-members through out the Core. A related service, Coruscant Daily NewsFeed, covers events in the Imperial capital, and offers readers a glimpse into capital life. Imperial Defense Daily provides articles of interest to those who follow the defense industry, and is widely read by weapons enthusiasts, since it profiles all new weapons systems and spacecraft as their existence becomes declassified.
Still other newsfeeds represent financial and trade organizations. The Corellian Times and the Basic language edition of the Herglic Trading Journal are two of the prime financial publications available. The Independent Traders' Infonet is a borderline case, one carefully watched by the Empire. It is easily obtained in spacec ports, trading co-ops, and other places spacers frequent, and covers a wide range of issues of interest to small time traders. It does not openly advocate smuggling, which is why the Empire suffers it to be openly distributed. However, its editorial offices are located at an unspecified node, probably because smugglers who can read between the lines often find the ITI aiming articles directly at them.
Licensed networks must present news in a light favoring the Empire (though a certain level of objectivity and criticism is permitted), and are subject to Imperial review by the Imperial Intelligence's Analysis and Media bureaus and COMPNOR's Sector Monitors. Specialized droids sweep the nets, looking for certain key phrases and worlds that suggest a newsfile might be critical of the Empire. THese articles are red flagged for review. If they are found to be overly critical or subversive, the articles are eliminated from the nets, the reporter is censured, fired, or arrested (according to the violation), and the parent organization is fined. Repeated violations, of course, incur more stringent measures.
Such measures are seldon called for in the larger news services, since publishers and editors are careful to ensure their stories adhere to acceptable Imperial standards. Naturally, pretending that there are no Imperial standards or review boards is an important part of adhering to these standards.
There are those who crave news not passed through an Imperial filter, and properly motivated beings can find alternative news sources if they work at it. A significant number of the transmissions originating from courier droids and freighters that appear briefly at the edge of any given system are not Imperially-sanctioned, but are maintained by organizations that have their reasons for avoiding Imperial attention.
Such puirate networks tend to fall into one of two distinct classifications. The first group is made up of the true criminal organizations that would be banned no matter who held the reins of power. These are the smugglers' exchanges, the crime consortiums, the spice shippers, and the assassin guilds. The second group is made up of the organizations which have sprung up in opposition to the Imperial machine, either out of local oppression or general principle. Many of these networks are political in nature, though many of the Alliance-affiliated ones are paramilitary as well (and there are even anti-Imperial terrorist groups who think the Alliance doesn't go far enough).
Unlike the license NewsNet networks, of course, the pirate networks are not underwritten by government agencies and corporations, and do not downlink their signals to the established government and coporate receivers. They must rely on alternative distribution and payment schemes. Most pirate networks maintain a network of affiliated distributers, who deliver message packets to the systems in their territory via courier droid or shuttle. Their coded signals are broadcast on a wide beam, and picked up by various pirate receivers. The message packets are then decoded and forwarded to interested parties through private distribution channels.
Availability and payment vary according to the sort of network involved. Criminal networks are commonly distributed by local crime bosses, who broadcast encrypted signals system-wide. They sell the decryption codes through a network of code dealers, and the codes are changed periodically. Those tempted to resell codes or pass them on to their friends should be wary. Most code dealers tag each code with a distinct ID pattern, which they use to trace and shut down unauthorized pipelines.
Access to pro-Rebel pirate networks is usually granted to participants in local underground cells, and there are also several prominent propaganda networks which broadcast without encryption. There may or may not be a fee involved in receiving the encrypted newsfeeds. Some networks are underwritten by their host organizations or by local sponsors. Others require a donation in exchange for access codes.
Naturally, not every dealer will offer every network (very few offer both criminal and political networks, for example), and codes will vary from dealer to dealer and system to system. Those who follow a variety of banned networks will likely have to interact with a number of dealers. Likewise, those who travel extensively must either maintain seperate accounts in the main systems they frequent, or content themselves with access only when they pass through certain home systems.
Two of the most common smuggler's networks originate from Nar Shaddaa (or at least they seem to). The Basic edition of the Nal Hutta Kal'tamok is a formal trade journal that provides advanced economic and political coverage relating to the buying, transportation, and selling of banned merchandise throughout the galaxy. It is probably the most common pirate network, and is considered to be so reliable that many insurance firms take these financial reports into consideration when determining the value of legitimate cargoes that may be affected by illicit trade. Officially, the Empire would dearly love to shut down this network, but so many bureaucrats and government officials use the Kal'tamok to research their own illegal trade activities (among them a considerable number of Moffs and governors), that this has proven difficult.
Cynabar's InfoNet is a less organized newsfeed consisting of the observations of a smuggler known only as Cynabar. Cynabar is the king of rumor mongers, and offers extremely useful advice on hot markets, new Imperial customs tactics, and other areas. He (she, it, they — no one seems to know) also follows the exploits of various prominent smugglers, though he will not betray of confidence. A smuggler can be sure she is up and coming if she finds her name in a Cynabar newsfeed. Indeed, a smuggler is up and coming to gain access to the "big CYN" at all. Access is very exclusive, very expensive, and strictly by invitation only. Interested smugglers must distinguish themselves to get the notice of local dealers, or otherwise tap into the "old being network."
There is a reason for the exclusivity. The information acquired in Cynabar's newsfeeds can lead to very high profits, but only if the pool of smugglers is small enough and skilled enough to be trusted with it. One amateur smuggler can spoil a valuable tip for everyone with one blunder.
Of the many Rebel-affiliated NewsNets, the most prominent is HoloNet Free Republic. Still bearing the name of its holoNet origins, the HFR was one of the first subversive holobands which sprang into being soon after Palpatine declared himself Emperor. The HFR presents news free of Imperial propaganda and lies, provides support to Rebel groups on a variety of worlds, and generally encourages citizens of the Empire to support the Alliance to Restore the Republic. It is broadcast unencrypted in most Imperial systems, and anyone knowing the channel number can pick it up.
Other pro-Rebel news services exist. One that is particularly effective in disseminating uncensored news is the Alderaan Expatriate Network, a NewsNet that arose soon after the destruction of Alderaan. Many of the AEN's support staff are former members of Alderaan's media who were stationed in offplanet bureaus when their homeworld was destroyed. As a result, reporting from AEN is thorough and professional.
A final comment must be made on virastacks. Virastacks are newsfiles in the form of virus programs that insinuate themselves in mainstream newsfeed transmissions, only to pop up without warning in the strangest places. Since news distributers expend a great deal of energy in finding and stopping such programs, few spread very far.
Two virastacks which have achieved a certain level of infamy are the Justice Action Network and Galactic Weekly NewsStack The former is an extremist (even by Alliance standards) network that encourages mass revolution against the Empire, and the latter is an irreverant publication poking fun at authority figures of all stripes (more details on the NewsStack can be found on page 82 of Galaxy Guide 9: Fragments from the Rim).
The newsfiles of these two organizations have spread far and wide, and have appeared in the middle of military training tapes, flower arranging holoshows, and swoop racing digests. COMPNOR and Imperial Intelligence are beside themselves to stop the spread of these newsfiles, but the engineers and programmers who produce them have thus far managed to keep one step ahead of the Empire in terms of circumventing anti-virus measures.
The NewsNets can be a useful tool in promoting game campaigns and fleshing out the universe. Perhaps the most practical way a gamemaster can use NewsNets is to provide adventure hooks to player characters. If a gamemaster has prepared a new adventure environment, such as a new planet, cruise ship, or city, it can easily be presented in a newsfile designed to attract the attention of the player characters. Smuggler groups can be introduced to new markets and hot new smuggling opportunities. Freelance Rebel operatives can be exposed to worlds ripe for revolution and Imperial weaknesses ready for exploitation.
Gamemasters can also use the NewsNets to impart knowledge that will play a role in future adventures. If a gamemaster knows the players will soon need background information about an adventure, the NewsNets can provide a more elegant manner of introducing this information rather than simply telling them at the proper moment in the adventure.
This use of the NewsNets works particularly well when it comes to introducing gamemaster characters. Meeting a movie character like Han Solo in a gaming environment is a big thrill to players. Why? Because all the players know who Solo is, they know of the outrageous stunts he's pulled, and have followed many of his adventures through movies and books. He's a living legend. Players have an immediate handle on how their characters will respond to Solo when they encounter him.
Gamemasters can achieve some of the same effects by introducing their own supporting characters into the game environment — through the NewsNets — before the player characters actually meet them. Players can form opinions about people they've read about in the NewsNets, especially if the same names keep appearing. When the player characters finally meet the legendary smugglers Bettle and Jaxa after months of following their exploits, the roleplaying opportunities will be richer than if the players are informed by you that the smugglers their characters just met are infamous. Naturally, the NewsNets are a two-way affair — the player characters may find their own exploits spreading via the NewsNets as their own careers progress!
In writing newsfiles, gamemasters have many resources at their disposal. The various Cracken's books are great sources of colorful gamemaster characters who may make the news in some manner. Raymond Velasco's A Guide to the Star Wars Universe has long been out of print, but a second edition by Bill Slavicsek was recently published. Either book is a gold mine of information about Star Wars. News stories drawn from contemporary newspapers and magazines can also provide inspiration for newsfiles. The New York Times and the Economist, both available at public libraries, often have newsfile sections that can get the creative juices flowing.
While gamemasters will want to write most of their own NewsNet newsfiles customized to fit into their campaign, there is a whole galaxy out there, and many events going on beyond the scope of one little corner of the universe. The Star Wars Adventure Journal is launching a new regular feature this issue, Galaxywide NewsNets, which will present a wide selection of newsfiles from around the galaxy that gamemasters can intersperse among their own newsfiles. Chronologically, the newsfiles begin shortly before the events described in Star Wars: A New Hope, and will proceed in chronological fashion, with roughly three months of Star Wars universe time passing in every issue. They will present details on various cultures, events, and personalities around the galaxy.
Basic Edition Annual NewsNet Summary
NAR SHADDAA NODE: In this special edition of the Nal Hutta Kal'tamok, the galaxy's most reliable and accurate independent business journal, we will be examining the information networks and news bureaus which service the known universe and keep it running. In-depth analyses of the various services follows, but in this initial article, we offer a short summary of some of the most prominent and useful newsnet services available. Note that some of these services are not available in all sectors, and others are available only by invitation. Reception of several is quite illegal, including the one you are now reading.
Galactic newsnets are, for the most part, Imperial-approved news sources, which is a polite way of saying they are censored and slanted to favor the Empire. Nonetheless, they are important sources of news. There is no question that Imperial HoloVision and Galaxy News Service are the two most powerful of these networks.
Imperial HoloVision: One of the most influential and powerful of the galaxy's news services. IHV has over 28,000 bureaus on planets throughout the Empire, and the various independent powers around it, including glorious Hutt space, the Corporate Sector Authority, and the Tion Hegemony. For each of these 28,000 bureaus, IHV has at least one additional local network to draw news from.
Galaxy News Service: GNS has a similar infrastructure, but does not tend to extend coverage to independent powers. It seems to have a slight edge over IHV in scooping big stories close to Coruscant.
Regional newsnets do not have the galaxy-wide distribution that the Big Two have. They serve a smaller, more local market, often a sector, or cluster of sectors. Some have established links with one of the Big Two for more extensive distribution, but this is of limited utility, since only the stories deemed newsworthy by IHV or GNS are approved for galactic distribution. TriNebulon News shows signs of expanding, and is increasingly available along the major trade routes.
Core News Digest: CND is far from the only newsnet operating in the Core, but it is one of the major Core newsnets which is widely circulated beyond Core boundaries. CND covers everything newsworthy in the Core, with the proper Imperial spin, of course. Beyond the Core, CND's most popular articles deal with Core politics, economics, and sports.
Darpa SectorNet: A conglomeration of smaller local news networks which cover newsworthy events in the Darpa sector, especially news emanating from Esseles, the sector capital. Darpa sector is a key industrial center in the Core, and its official newsnet is widely carried throughout the galaxy.
Colonial News Net: A network which covers most of the sectors in the Colonies. Its news is gathered by 18 independent local news networks, each of which covers a number of systems. Colonial News Net is pro-Imperial and very much a champion of law and order. This causes some friction between Imperial political offices and Colonial News Net, because the latter expects the Empire to obey its own edicts and laws. When its representatives fail to do so, Colonial News Net does not hesitate to criticize the offending officials.
TriNebulon News: TRI is the voice of the Empire in the Outer Rim Territories. It covers about a quarter of Outer Rim systems officially, though it has a much wider circulation through alternative distribution channels. TRI is something of a sensational news organ, and favors a tabloid approach to news coverage. It has a reputation for focusing on trivial stories, while ignoring more substantial issues, but this seems to be changing over time.
NovaNetwork. Covers the same territory as TRI, and with similar editorial policies. It is very protective of its trademarks, and maintains a somewhat precarious balance between favoring pro-Imperial nationalistic policies and individual rights.
Sektor 242 NewsLine. Sector 242 NewsLine is one of the few major newsnets of the Outer Rim which largely refuses to sacrifice integrity and accuracy to New Order ideology. It escapes Imperial censorship by simply ignoring stories which it cannot criticize openly without persecution. Sektor 242 has a blind spot when it comes to economic reporting.
Special interest newsnets do not have specific regional or territorial beats. They are often circulated by the same distribution networks which carry the major news organs, but are themselves independent.
Coruscant Daily NewsFeed. The CDF reports on events in the Imperial capital, and gives readers and viewers a glimpse into life on Coruscant. It often can be relied upon to profile those in favor at Court (it is always useful to know whom one must flatter), and report on surface events at Court. Naturally, those interested in more than fluffy gossip about those in favor must look elsewhere. The only people criticized in CDF with conviction are those who have fallen irreparably out of favor in Court. This is a save editorial policy, since such figures are usually dead.
Imperial Defense Daily. IDD covers the defense industry, and is widely regarded as the premier source of expert information on defensive and offensive system. Naturally, IDD limits its coverage to non-classified programs and battlecraft, though the reporting is so thorough that "blind spots" in coverage of funding, manpower, and resources can often indicate where black programs are impacting the Imperial machine to those who know what to look for. Many system governments and independent organizations use IDD to shop for their own defense packages.
Human Events Network. HEN concentrates on Imperial High Culture as it is applied everywhere in the Empire. Most of its coverage is centered on the Core Worlds with close cultural ties to Coruscant, but it does cover the Colonies, Mid-Rim, and Outer Rim Territories as well, spotlighting worlds and programs which present the Empire in a good light.
New Order Progressive. New Order Progressive, which until recently represented Coruscant's New Order Party, is now the official commentary magazine of COMPNOR's Coalition for Progress. It covers the arts, sciences, economics, and education — all, naturally, with the proper Imperial spin. It also serves as an unofficial support organ for local New Order political parties and clubs in various Imperial systems.
Herglic Trading Journal, Basic Edition. The Herglic Trading Journal is one of the finest financial publications available in the galaxy (its editor-in-chief is currently a Hutt). Its Basic Edition is widely read by investors, traders, and government officials throughout the Empire, though no one is pparticularlyanxious to brag about it, since the Empire would much rather you read the human publication which is its closest rival, the Corellian Times.
Independent Traders' Infonet. The ITI is a semi-legal publication which serves the sspacercommunity. It covers a wide range of issues of interest to small-time independent traders and merchants. It is not circulated through normal newsnet channels, but is easily found in spaceport kiosks. It specializes in researching fields and new markets and trends in trading which independent spacers cannot afford to investigate on their own.
Galactic Resorts. Galactic Resorts is one of the thousands of special interests magazines which circulate throughout the newsnet infrastructure. I single it out for personal reasons. When I travel, I enjoy staying in fine accommodations and GR's profiles of luxury resorts, vacation locations, spas, and hotels are very helpful in selecting those which cater to the needs of Hutts. GR's hundreds of roving freelance reporters cover a wide variety of resorts catering to a wide variety of tastes and species.
There are thousands of subversive newsnets circulating, which are independent of or hostile to the Empire. We'll profile a few of the more prominent and important in our coming series. Here is a ssummaryof these newsnets.
Nal Hutta Kal'tamok, Basic Edition. Naturally, we begin with this glorious publication, the Hutt newszine Nal Hutta Kal'tamok. The Nal Hutta Kal'tamok covers economic and political issues related to the buying, selling, and transportation of contraband goods. It is regarded as one of the most elite of financial journals, and is widely read throughout the Empire, though seldomly openly.
Cynabar's InfoNet. Cynabar's InfoNet — which recently dropped out of sight for a few months after igniting a fierce Imperial attempt to eradicate it — is back in business. The big CYN covers news of interest to smugglers, and often features inside information not yet available to other news outlets. CYN is very exclusive, and few are asked to join its select group of subscribers (and invitation is the only way of obtaining a subscription to this very expensive newszine). You may be sure you have made a name for yourself as a smuggler if you are a CYN subscriber. No one knows for sure, by the way, just who are what Cynabar is.
Holonet Free Republic. The HFR is one of the rather tedious pro-Rebel Alliance newsnets, which promotes the bias of its ideology to all who will listen. I mention it because HFR has one of the most efficient and wide-spread network of courier droids around, and broadcasts in nearly every Imperial-held system.
Alderaan Expatriate Network. Another Rebel-affiliated. This one is worth following because its reporters were professionals before joining the Rebel cause, and still maintain high journalistic standards despite their ideology. They cover many of the same stories as the mainstream Imperial press, and have friends in many important places. They provide a useful counter to the pro-Imperial news, as long as you keep their own bias in mind.
This concludes our summary of the main newsnets we will be covering in our special edition. Data packet XL-J109 contains the complete breakdown of these and 35 additional newsnets.