Newspapers, Periodicals and Broadsheets- a solid investigative association for a muckraking party

One of the best additions to Victoriana’s 3rd Edition rules is Associations. No real rules, just a simple framework for how the player character’s know each other and why they adventure they way they do. The rulebook provides enough examples to let a group develop their own association. Here is a small write up for anyone looking for an association of a journalistic bent.

Breaking news from the telegraph operator, local human interest stories, and public scandals sell papers. It’s the job of reporters to track down stories, find and keep sources, write up the news in a style appropriate to the paper’s political leaning, and stay on the right side of the law. Reporters do what is necessary to keep the broadsheets moving.
The editor of a newspaper may assign a specific beat to a staff reporter or send them abroad as a correspondent. An editor also may or may not put up a bail for their news hounds, respect the confidential relationships of their sources, or fact check their stories. Most papers pay their staff enough to get by, although more respected names, popular authors, or famous crusaders will be better paid for their pieces.
The type of newspaper will greatly affect the news reported, the tone of the reporting, and the standard of journalist integrity. A paper funded by a political party will be well connected and funded, but only stories supporting their views are wanted and indelicate research of certain persons will not be tolerated. A mercantile sheet will be filled with dryly reported shipping schedules, foreign affairs, stock prices and exchanges. Specialty periodicals feature articles from prominent experts, and well researched lists and guides alongside themed news items. Penny papers cater to the lower and working classes. Sensational crime stories, human interest pieces, weather, entertainment, advertisements, all written simply and briefly. Their long standing reporters may be particularly look down on as penny papers were illegal as recently as 1855 due to the Stamp Tax.

Skills: Bribery, Charm, Empathy, Photography, Research, Streetwise, Telegraphy
Privileges: Ear of the Street, Pub Regular
Assets: Contact, Library (local history and who’s who)
Complications: Bad Reputation, Police Harassment, Policy of Truth, Zealot,

Potential Paper Names: The Wormwood Street Sage, the Discoveries of the Empire, Samaritan, Challenger’s Conquests of Science, the Torch of Reason, The Telegraphic Messenger