Shadows of Shen Zhou:The Media
Study Difficulty: 18 (Politics)
Destiny Cost: 2
Shen Zhou today is inundated by media; be it TV shows, movies, magazines, graffiti, billboards or information and entertainment available through the Nets. A powerful tool for social control, the only reason it is somewhat ineffectual is the vast net of competing influences at work. Every Clan, government and dozens of independent factions all seek to pursue radically different social goals, making any coherent, concerted effort at control doomed to failure.
Television is by far the most popular form of media. Dozens of channels exist, usually broadcast to tiny, cheap television sets found in every family home. Each Clan runs its own handful of stations, and television sets are set up to only receive certain stations, but the modifications which allow full access and pirate channels are easy enough to do and it's far rarer to find a un-modded TV than one that's been hacked. It's illegal, of course, but the law is impossible to enforce. Entertainment shows are mostly reality television, sports (including every possible variety of fight, some faked and some disturbingly real), game shows and a generous helping of soap opera and melodramas. If the public cannot be controlled by any one party, all agree it can at least be opiated. News programs exist and are watched heavily, but they are mostly thinly-veiled propaganda; the best you can do is pick your flavor of bias. Independent or city-based news stations are usually fairly trustworthy, and there are many pirate stations which are generally trustworthy or at least a lot more interesting than the official channels (some have gimmicks; The Disrobed Disclosure is quite popular and surprisingly informative)
Print media is split into two areas: newspapers and stuff people actually read. Newspapers have dropped vastly in popularity in comparison to television; but are actually one of the better sources for accurate information; those in power are less concerned with them. On the other hand, gossip magazines and tabloids can be found everywhere; celebrity news and rumors are highly popular. These have a surprisingly large amount of resiliency as well; publishing is cheap and readers are highly loyal to their favorite writers and magazines. Comic books have a great deal of popularity, and come in every shape and form: adventure, romance, comedy and of course kung fu.
The darknets are, of course, a sea of useful information and completely unfounded rumor. Whatever the topic, you can find someone who knows everything about it... or at least claims to. The difficulty of fact-checking is as prevalent here as anywhere else, but at least organized attempts at obfuscation are rare. Anyone familiar with the darknets probably knows a few trustworthy places to go for information, of course.
Discounts on related lore
-1 The Net
-1 The Auspicious Ministry of Harmonious Communication
Secrets of Destiny
*: You possess a Quality modified TV set and know how to use it, you can easily gain access to accurate news. Gives a +5 to Gather Information checks related to current events.
1+: You are affiliated with a media outlet. You may work for a TV station, write for a magazine or be a well-known independent blogger (the higher the cost, the more connected you are). You may use the media as a vehicle for Secret Arts (although if you don't have a powerful association and spread dangerous Passions around, you risk detection and reprisal)
2: You may use the media as a Predictionist Tool. The classic use of this is the "wall of televisions" technique, where the Predictionist lets the flow of information flow over him and gains insight into the state of the world and the flow of destiny.
3: Once per story, you may produce a work with great mass-market appeal. Be it a hit episode of a TV show, a massively popular children's book or an amazingly witty and insightful article in a popular magazine, everyone will be talking about it and know your name. No one will successfully suppress the work, but beware reprisals nonetheless.
