Press Commission
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 The official seal of the Press Commission. | |
| Overview | |
| National Agency | Republic of La Rossa |
| Formed | 16-10 105 TT |
| Operations | |
| General nature | Censorship office Publisher |
| Employees (total) | 662 |
| • Censorship office | 112 |
| • Publishing | 650 |
| Annual Budget | 11,900,000ꕥ |
The Rossan Press Commission is the supreme and sole legal authority responsible for the production and distribution of mass-printed media in the Republic of La Rossa. Established in 105 TT by Dux Michelangelo Giannone di Salino following expansions of the rights of free speech and press, the Commission was established to review and approve any piece of art or text ordered to be printed in 64 copies or more, as long as it abides by the currently enacted laws and decrees. Although nowadays texts tend to only occasionally be rejected, the Press Commission has served to suppress speech thought harmful to the functioning of society and government. Although orders from private companies tend to be subject to the approval process, certain state-owned newspapers operate independently of the Press Commission, such as the Giornale Economico.
History
The Press Commission was established by Dux Michelangelo Giannone di Salino in the aftermath of the Spirit Revolution, a short-lived violent attempt at a democratic upheaval of the nation and the overthrow of the aristocratic society that ruled the island of La Rossa for centuries. A piece of a larger package of liberalizing reforms, the Dux had offered the free right of print in a major concession aimed at quieting discontent following the smothering of the revolt. Replacing the old system, where the right of print was reserved only for the state, which owned all printing presses and facilities in the nation, the new law gave allowance for the expansion of the right to all private citizens of the island. The law, however, concealed a careful balancing act, which aimed to give only as much power as necessary to ease tensions while keeping the power in the hands of the wealthy aristocracy. The Press Commission, a tool made to excercise this power, would come to review every piece of art and text ordered to be printed in quantities greater than 64, in order to ensure subversive pieces would not endanger the state.
The period following the liberalization is widely marked as the Rossan Silver Age, a decades-long period of general prosperity, as well as social and scientific progress, in many ways propelled by the establishment of a variety of newspapers and journals which allowed for the freer spread of information across the island, aiding industrialization and technological advancement. Although records show the Press Commission tended to supress overt political pieces, it would mostly stay away from regulating and censoring scientific and medicinal journals, usually due to free-handed directives from the Dux, allowing them to flourish unimpeded. Due to the peculiar nature of the nation's relation to print, the Press Commission remains the sole publishing authority on the island of La Rossa, leading to a lack of true private publishing houses. However, in their stead, a number of capital investment firms would begin to buy the rights to pieces of art and literature rather than traditional investment options, selling the printed copies for profit, leading to an analogous structure. Newspapers similarly tend to have private firms backing them, however, due to their naturally high and consistent rate of output, the establishment of one requires difficult to attain government permits to allow for productive capacity necessary for daily or weekly print.
Despite the Press Commission's role in censoring and suppressing political works, it was historically not always successful with its work, as briberies of print workers would often allow for large orders to bypass the usual bureaucratic mechanisms of approval. Although such cases tend to be prosecuted, and the created works confiscated or burned, it remains a common practice, and has resulted in the easing and streamlining of laws of expression in certain areas to ensure a greater number of works passes through the proper channels. La Libertà, a famously political manifesto from the Spirit Revolution, was one of the most oftenly illegally printed and distributed works, due to its relatively short length and notoriety. Dux Giulio Falcone, who led the Denunzian Revolt, had himself become radicalized by such texts. Rules surrounding the freedom of press have been greatly loosened during the reign of Ducissa Alessandra DeGaio, and most political expression remains allowed on the island, despite backsliding during the administration of Dux Vincenzo Barozzo di Tolia.
Function
The Press Commission is organized bureaucratically, and is subject to and responsible to the Government of La Rossa and the Dux. Organized into several layers of bureaucracy, the employees of the Commission are allocated based on the importance of the printed works. Most of the workforce is employed locally, and tends to review original manuscripts and designs meant for limited distribution. Usually only a single employee is necessary for approval, in such cases. For broader distribution, measured in hundreds or thousands of copies, sub-commissions of varying numbers of higher-ranking bureaucrats tend to hold votes of approval, with the decisions educated by the current laws and practices allowed by the Republic of La Rossa. The length of the approval process varies based on the length of a work, as well as the backlog that has yet to be cleared out. Although pamphlets and posters tend to be processed within days, longer works such as novels may take several weeks, or even months to gain full approval. Newspapers tend to be processed the fastest, although illegal material may on occasion slip through the cracks. In such cases, attempts are made to confiscate newspapers before they are sold, with the revenue lost not being reimbursed.
The Press Commission prices its printing services slightly above cost, providing an affordable yet profitable service for the mass distribution of printed material. Pricing depends on the number of pages printed, as well as the ink used during the process. Facilities also offer to produce casts and engravings for image prints, as well as to typeset manuscripts, allowing for printing of a larger range of material. However, due to the relative ease of creating such casts with proper equipment, as well as the affordability of pigments and ink, the proper legal process for the production of printed media is oftentimes avoided, though in most cases homemade prints are not made for widespread distribution.