Interstellar News Network
Sarna News
The ComStar-owned Interstellar News Network (INN) is the premier Inner Sphere-spanning news service during the Word of Blake's Jihad and the era of the Republic of the Sphere.
Through the LinkNet website, INN was the default in-universe source of information for the MechWarrior: Dark Age game, and was also referenced on the info and background cards included with the game pieces. Similarly, the news section on the BattleCorps website is presented as an INN newsreel.
Overview
Still trying to combat its tainted public relations reputation in the wake of Operation Scorpion and hoping to distance itself from the Word of Blake in the months immediately prior to the Jihad in 3067, the secular ComStar founded the Interstellar News Network. Unlike the Order's own ComStar News Bureau, the INN was intended to be a wholly independent and free HPG-transmitted news service, supported financially solely through advertising and relying heavily upon the services of local freelance reporters.[1] [2]
Created with the proclaimed hope that it would "heal the wounds of strife and draw upon the common bonds of humanity", from a humble start of just servicing the handful of worlds surrounding Tukayyid, the INN fulfilled ComStar's plans of becoming an Inner Sphere-spanning network during the ongoing maelstrom of the Jihad.[1] [2] INN became a premier source of information during the conflict, most notably its series of well-received Jihad Hot Spots reports.
INN was one of the more notable purchasers of Cal-Boeing of Dorwinion's 3061 Sky Eye News Helicopter. A licensing deal between the INN and Cal-Boeing enabled the compact helicopter's advanced camera and communication arrays direct upload capabilities with ComStar's HPG network, providing near-seamless transmission of its material to off-world stations.[3]
Known INN reporters and staff
- Michael Bosworth
- Rachel Francis
- Bertram Habeas
- Nigel Holmgren
- Myra Kellison (through Tharkad Media Associates)
- Farouk O'Reilly
- Sandra Raines
- Tad Silverstein
- Orson Tanaka