 | ||
| The Solar Flare | ||
|---|---|---|
| Type | News service | |
| Industries | Journalism | |
| Founded | 2041 | |
| Founder(s) | Kimblee and Arthur Pierce | |
| HQ Location | London, United Kingdom | |
| Net Worth (₵) | ₵11.8 billion | |
| Number of Employees | 1,500 | |
The Solar Flare, also known simply as the Flare, is an independent, interplanetary newspaper service based in London, England, that streams journalism in the form of newspapers to starships and colonies across Sol. It has an estimated readership count of well over 170 million across the solar system. Founded in 2041 in the wake of the Middle East Oil Crisis, the Flare started off as a livestreaming channel of professional freelance reporters who filmed ongoing crises with minimal editing and commentary. The shock value of the content they had provided disrupted the media industry; coupled with its independent nature -- free of meddling corporate interests -- the Flare quickly gained reputation as a reliable journalistic service and its popularity skyrocketed over the next decade.
In addition to the newspaper, the Flare also operates a streaming channel available on all major providers that posts 24/7 live coverage of news media sol wide, as well as numerous daily podcasts.
History
This article is a stub.
The Solar Flare was founded in 2041 by brothers Kimblee and Arthur Pierce, intending to be a small startup journalism service. Early attempts to publish news was met with strong mistrust and backlash, due to the Flare's origin as a small startup. Critics referred to the early Flare as a tabloid, while major news services regularly ran fact checks that brought the paper's legitimacy into question. Amidst this, the paper nearly declared bankruptcy in 2044 soon after it was founded.
However, during the Middle East Oil Crisis, the Pierce brothers agreed it would be a good idea to document the ongoing events in the Middle East. They hired several freelance reporters, many of whom had prior experience in war reporting, and flew to war-torn regions like Syria. There, they set up a satellite internet connection and, even amidst civil war, began livestreaming interviews and footage of the crisis to curious viewers.
On 24 December 2043, Arthur Pierce was shot by stray gunfire while interviewing an Iraqi freedom fighter live. Although the bullet struck his body armor, he was still winded and had to be evacuated by military personnel. While Arthur was recovering in hospital, the livestream that the Flare was running quickly gained traction on the internet for its "raw, visceral" footage. The clip of Arthur being shot was circulated throughout the internet, much to Arthur's original dismay; however, he soon realized that it was drawing positive attention to the Flare and that the company could capitalize on the attention.
Kimblee and the Flare journalists would continue reporting, now to drastically increased viewership counts, as they went deeper into the battlefield and even began asking questions recommended by viewers during interviews. Regular promotions to their newspaper were added, to which they published the journalism from their livestreams. The newspaper continued to grow after this point, gaining even more traction.
Organization
The Flare currently has more than 1,500 employees sol wide including over 300 writers and over 150 field journalists, as well as "hundreds more" freelancers contracted by the Flare.
As of 2117, the company has its home office in London. It additionally has more headquarters in Philadelphia, Paris, Rome, New Delhi, Shanghai, Jakarta, Tokyo, and Melbourne, with extraplanetary offices in Port Tranquility, Luna, and Aquila, Mars. The Flare is a heavy user of artificial intelligence for peer review and editing but remains reliant on human editors for vetting and quality control.
More than 70% of Flare staff are unionized with the International Journalist Association (IJA), which the Flare's management are currently on amicable terms with.
The Flare is known in the business world for being completely independent and not owned by any holding company or higher organization. Its management referred to the policy as "Swiss-like neutrality", with editor-in-chief Ella 'E.D.M' Davis-McLemore calling it the only way to stay unbiased. While many companies have attempted to purchase the Flare, it remains under its own authority and, according to Davis-McLemore, "will continue to stay that way."
Products and Services
Newspaper
The Solar Flare's eponymous newspaper comes in both a print edition and a digital version. Full-sized editions, which can either be purchased individually or delivered as part of a subscription, typically come organized into several segments: news, opinions (editorials), climate, and a Features section comprised of topics such as food, health & wellness, travel reviews, fashion, and media. Until 2108, the Flare also had a comic panel, but this was retired.
In addition to full print versions, the Flare also offers Featurettes, a weekly series of news highlights and recaps from all of the Flare's sections. Featurettes are the most popular with lumicom customers as they are both cheaper and more accessible than the full versions.
Fla.re
The Flare also operates the website fla.re, which offers online news articles and several games for readers to play. The website is also A.I-translated into more than 100 different languages and sees monthly traffic of over 2.5 million users, 800,000 of which are registered.
Podcasts
The Flare additionally operates several podcasts which are available on every major streaming platform. One of its first, Flare Today, is a podcast operated by the Flare featuring hosts Robin Janowitz and Jessica Song, alongside a rotating cast of guest appearances. A more recent podcast, State of the System, first aired in October 2109 and discusses politics with numerous guest appearances such as both national and UN politicians and commentators.