saveyourselves | [Media digest and Publicity status] If we only talk about the fox, won't the badger feel neglected?

With the media starting to play a larger role, the purpose of this post is to be a digest and master post for everything that the media (newspapers, radio, TV, internet, etc) have said and will say. This post covers what gets aired/published about the numbered up until the 15th of September. This includes content created by both players and mods, regardless of if it stems from numbered and their allies, their opponents, or neutral third sources.

GUIDELINES

- You may either link to a post that you made which contained a media voice (like this) or or create small articles/opinion pieces/internet discussions/interviews/statements/etc and put them into the body of the comment, (like this).
- Please use this form:
- Please use the appropriate one of these threads (26/8-1/9, 2-8,9-15) to link/post your media voices.
- If your media voice talks about a small group of reincarnates or one reincarnate in specific, please make sure that you have their players' permission to have the media talk about them in this way.

THE GENERAL CURRENT STATE OF THE MEDIA

- The trend towards the numbered being treated negatively in the media is continuing, though it is also a case of opinions becoming more extreme - the neutral/disinterested middle ground is vanishing. Talk of them having hidden motifs and pulling secret strings is turning into a mix of conspiracy theories and them being uncontrollable and dangerous. It is pointed out that they clearly possess criminal energy as individuals and as a group, based on past actions. At the same time there are fans and supporters who make them more and more ideal in their views or even consider them the future of humanity, the next step of evolution.
- The attempts of reincarnated persons to enter the discussion on their own terms is treated differently. Some welcome it, others not, but whenever it happens it is discussed thoroughly in the media afterwards.
- The appearance of Oublie in Locke City and the appearance of the mountain and flooding in Las Vegas scare the general public, and receive almost entirely negative coverage. In Locke, it is more the point of panic that "our issue might be small, but look to Vegas, what if ours grows like that?". Characters that have been noticed to be in contact with the Cathedral/it's undergrounds might be hounded about it by reporters. In Las Vegas, it is more direct and openly hostile, accusing the numbered of having caused the devastation.
- All local Locke newspapers and radio programs are filled with pieces on one numbered or some/all of them as a group almost daily, most in neutral to negative terms, though the reader's comments section might contain highly positive pieces. A local Locke radio station, Energy Up, fills its free broadcasting time with more or less fact-based pieces about the reincarnates, laced with gossip and speculations about their mental state and how dangerous they really are to the city. Fox News has started a morning magazine programme about the numbered in both cities in much the same spirit, though they also start to accuse the numbered of everything that they figure to be wrong with the nation at this point.
- All news outlets in Vegas and a number in Locke now run pieces about specific numbered, and not only about those that are high-profile in some shape or form, but about everyone. Especially in Vegas, this might get to the point where they're dipping into witch hunt territory as the changes to the city continue.
- The internet is a vast place as well, and seedlings, conspiracy theorists and many others discuss the reincarnates - they might have fans or vicious haters here, self-proclaimed specialists on the numbered and so on. In general, the attitudes are fairly similar to those in the official media outlets.
- Last post's digest: # The appearance of Oublie Cathedral (1 & 2) # Well-researched reporting on the Lord of the Bugmen (1) # The murder of reincarnate Jovan (1) # The ridiculous thieves strike again (1) # Some reincarnates go public on the evening news (1)

Former Media Posts: #1 #2

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Date: 26/8
Type of media/location if applicable: TV news, coffee shop downtown.
Link/Content:

John wouldn't have gone along with an interview if rumours hadn't already started floating around about his reappearance, along with ridiculous "articles". At this point trying to stay hidden was becoming more of a bother than "coming out" probably would be. So he accepted the first interiew that sounded preferable, met with the reporter in a coffee shop, and here he is now.

The broadcast switches from the live recording in the news studio to the pre-recorded interview with John Smith.

"So, let me get this straight, Mr. John Smith," the reporter starts. "You were reported missing in the beginning of March, only you looked different. Let's see a photo."

The screen briefly shows this picture.

"That really is quite the change," continues the reporter. "May I ask just what happened?"

John takes a sip of his tea, and leans back in his seat, putting his hands on his stomach.

"I got shot. Instead of dying, I changed and the wound healed as I did. I Spent the next week or so unconscious, and when I woke up, I got a new identity, new job and tried to decide what to do about the whole situation."

"The public knew about you Numbered at that point, but you didn't consider to simply do the same thing as some of your fellow Numbered and announce yourself to the public?"

There's the flicker of an almost ugly look in John's eyes, but as quickly as it's there it's gone again.

"I wasn't sure I wanted to, that's all."

"Why not?"

"I've never been a public person."

It's quite obvious John's not all that happy to be talking about it.

"I see," says the reporter. "Your life would have changed either way, right? What was it like to start over from scratch?"

"It was a pain in the arse," he says bluntly. "It exhausted my savings."

At least it makes the reporter chuckle, even if it's far from the whole truth. Still very much truth, though.

"Would you like to tell us more about your real self? Or is that the wrong way to put it?"

"I prefer saying he's my past self, if anything," he says, and takes a deep breath. "He was an alien and apparently simply went by the name 'Doctor'. He's been kind enough to give me two hearts, a time machine, and a small device that isn't operational at the moment and I couldn't tell you what it is." A beat. "The time machine isn't operational either, for the record."

"That's a lot to take in," says the reporter and pauses for a moment. "Two hearts?"

John nods. "One on the left and one on the right. I have two pulses too, if you'd like to check."

"Well, it can't hurt."

He casually straightens up and holds his arm out towards her. It takes her about twenty seconds to find both of them, but she does.

"That's amazing!"

"That's one way to put it," he says as he pulls his hand back and lifts the tea cup.

"So if the time machine were to become operational, what would you do with it?"

"Probably nothing."

"Nothing?"

"Nothing."

"But imagine everything you could do with it."

"I am imagining, which is why I'm not going to do anything with it."

"I see ..." The reporter clears her throat, and finishes her cup of coffee. "Well, that's all the time we had. Thank you very much for taking the time to talk to us, Mr. Smith."

"My pleasure."

John takes a sip of the tea and the broadcast ends to return to the studio and the rest of the news.

[Media digest and Publicity status] If we only talk about the fox, won't the badger feel neglected?

no subject