Media in TW2000

[raketenjagdpanzer]

The internet/ARPANET would still be functioning, depending on whose hands it was in it might/might not be a reliable-ish source of news. Also, regardless of whom it was controlled by (civgov or milgov) they would likely HEAVILY censor news. Plague outbreaks would go unmentioned, reconstruction efforts would probably be overstated to keep morale up (except of course in areas where no such reconstruction was going on), "war news" would likely be heavily censored/distorted : "Today, the 5th division's offensive in Poland has finally smashed Warsaw Pact forces!" (not mentioning the 5th division was totally smashed itself in the process)...

If different subnets of ARPANet were in different hands, then I could see a LOT of CMSG attacks; in tiny, tiny ways cyberwarfare would be a thing, if only to try and win the upper hand of news control.

As to "no newspapers", I disagree. You wouldn't have copies of the NYT showing up in California on publication day but I think every surviving small town would try to get a degree of normalcy going with their own printed newspaper. Maybe a biweekly or weekly (to preserve paper).

Yes shortwave radio, absolutely. You guys think talk radio today is out of hand? Imagine some lunatic and a wind-powered generator + shortwave set going full Alex Jones at all hours of the day and night.

[Silent Hunter UK]

Originally Posted by raketenjagdpanzer

As to "no newspapers", I disagree. You wouldn't have copies of the NYT showing up in California on publication day but I think every surviving small town would try to get a degree of normalcy going with their own printed newspaper. Maybe a biweekly or weekly (to preserve paper).

If you could get hold of an old-fashioned printing press and the resources for it, you could print a paper.

[raketenjagdpanzer]

Originally Posted by Silent Hunter UK

If you could get hold of an old-fashioned printing press and the resources for it, you could print a paper.

Hell, a typewriter and a mimeograph machine would do in a pinch.

[unkated]

Media in the late 20th century is technology driven.

1. Continental broadcasting (national in the US and Canada) need good communications links. These are probably not available in the post TDM time frame.

As was noted, it is likely that direct wire routes survived - but some of these may be commandeered by various governments if more tech systems cease to be available. Or, simply to have ample control of the dissemination of information...

2. Television and radio are only useful in locations/areas with widespread power available. TVs are of little value if there is no power available for viewers to run them. Cities with limited power availability will probably have their broadcast hours adjusted. Those without, will have.... no broadcast media.

Radio may have a longer reach; radio receivers can run off a smallish set of batteries - TVs need more power to make that cathode ray tube shine.

3. Newspaper are lower tech, as has been pointed out. You don't need much for a small "newspaper." There are existing (and plans for) mechanically driven presses, as well as ditto machines and mimeogrpahs (still sitting in storage rooms in schools all across America. And that will be fine until the paper runs out.

I would imagine that local/regional news will take a larger portion of coverage in any location, simply because the ability to disseminate information over distance is diminished.

You also have more of an interest for local news, as local news will be more likely to have an immediate effect (for good or ill).

Or so I think, anyway.

Fox News started in October, 1996, to a mere 10 million households, and was not available in New York or Los Angeles.

One can make a case that if they aggressively began to cover the NATO invasion, Fox News's popularity might have risen faster.

Until cable systems are destroyed by TDM.

Uncle Ted

[aspqrz]

Or you could go the old time route ...

* Acta Diurna: Public Notices (Court Cases, Decrees of assorted Magistrates etc.) and some general news, placed in the Roman Forum from the mid 2nd century BC till the government moved to Constantinople. Evidently inscribed on copper or metal plates and archived, sometimes copied by scribes and sent to Provincial Governors.

As an extension, Caesar's 'De Bello Gallico' were letters sent back to Rome to be published/read or generally made public to the Plebs to maintain support against the Patricians who, generally, hated his guts.

* Town Crier: A long tradition going back to early medieval times. A public official whose job it was to make public announcements of laws, regulations, decrees, market days etc. etc.

Don't need a lot of tech to do those things.

Getting the news in the first place would come via the usual suspects, depending on the degree of damage to comms infrastructure, but you don't really need newspapers or radio stations for basic news distribution.

Phil

[Silent Hunter UK]

Originally Posted by aspqrz

* Town Crier: A long tradition going back to early medieval times. A public official whose job it was to make public announcements of laws, regulations, decrees, market days etc. etc.

We still have one in my borough; he's brought out for royal births etc.

[aspqrz]

Originally Posted by unkated

And that will be fine until the paper runs out.

It's actually fairly easy to make recycled paper from roneo/mimeo/gestetner quality paper ... some water, enough power to run a blender, and a fine mesh screen (and you can probably work something out instead of the blender).

Even the ink would be relatively easy ... linseed oil and lamp black.

Phil

[WallShadow]

The most difficult component of a mimeo/spirit duplicator machine to find or manufacture would be the mimeo master blanks, which are sheets of paper that are coated in a thin coating of (usually colored) wax that a typewriter key makes an impression on. These would be the achilles heel of the system.

[aspqrz]

Originally Posted by WallShadow

The most difficult component of a mimeo/spirit duplicator machine to find or manufacture would be the mimeo master blanks, which are sheets of paper that are coated in a thin coating of (usually colored) wax that a typewriter key makes an impression on. These would be the achilles heel of the system.

ISTR that in the 1632verse this proves to not be much of a problem. Of course, that's fiction, but the tech side of things is always (afaict) well researched.

ISTR that the problem they had was getting the wax coating thin and flexible enough ... they may even have created a flatbed rather than rotary machine to use the stencils, it was evidently simply enough to be assembled and run by locals with hand tools and not much else.

Where there's a will there's a way!

Phil