Technocrat Polling Scandal Rocks Seattle

Horizon Seattle News, 23:00 17-9-2080

"Welcome to Horizon Seattle News at twenty-three hundred, this is Justine Chen," a human news anchor says. "Our top story tonight: a leaked video of what appears to be a three-person hacker team raid on an unknown host has surfaced from several popular matrix message boards and hosts. One of the hackers claims to be a technomancer acting alone. The editing staff has had to strip a soundtrack from a popular punk rock band for copyright purposes, but the rest of the video remains unedited. Let's take a look."

The program cuts to footage of a medieval fantasy landscape from the perspective of someone walking along. A digitally altered voiceover cuts in. "You have been deceived for too long. The corps want you to think technomancers are a threat to your safety so they can kidnap and exploit us with no consequence. I'm here to give you the truth. No sugarcoating."

Cut to a dire black tower in a corrupt landscape full of poison and decay dominates the shot. "This is a land of dissonance. Some technomancers are, in fact, bad people. They have the taint of dissonance."

Cut to a smoggy, toxin-filled interior where an evil wizard does battle with the point-of-view character before collapsing after a nasty magic missile is deflected. The point-of-view character looks down over the body as it dematerializes. "They can be beaten. Resonance will overpower dissonance."

Cut to a grand library full of books depicting various videos. "We can find the hidden knowledge they don't want you to know. We can find what slips through the cracks."

Cut to a sample of the videos, dire conspiracy theory and hate rallies, biased poll results rolling in. "You have been misrepresented. The Technocrat's system is inherently flawed. See the numbers for yourself."

The program returns to the news desk. "Attached to the video was a large file with polling data that shows a clear bias toward reactionary politics in the frequent opinion polls on which the Governor's policy decisions are based," the anchor says. "The Governor's office made the following statement in a press conference."

Cut to a press room. "After careful review of state matrix systems, we have concluded there has been no breach of data," a PR representative says. "The alleged leaked video is pure dramatization, and the polling data is faked. The Governor wishes to remind the citizens of Seattle that our matrix security is top-of-the-line and impenetrable to mere shadowrunners. Your votes count just as much as everyone else's - at lightspeed convenience."

[The program continues with other stories. Technomancers who dig up the ubiquitous file will find hidden resonance data leading to information about NCL School for the Gifted. Otherwise, analysis shows the statistical bias indicated by the news anchor is accurate.]