Picus Group

The Picus Group is a multinational entertainment and media corporation based in Montreal, Canada. Its many subsidiaries such as Picus TV, Picus Web, and The Picus Daily Standard make it a ubiquitous company by the 2020s. As of 2029, Picus controls 94% of the world's media, making it the world's largest communications provider. It has over one thousand offices operating in more than one hundred countries. Globally, Picus has almost a million people working for it, including bloggers, movie directors, and music stars. Its headquarters is known as Picus Communications and is located in Montreal's Olympic Stadium.

Background
Picus was founded by Martin Darrow in 1984 through the amalgamation of Dazzle Me Magazine, T-K Records, and Roque Publishing. It rose in the global media scene over the next decade as it acquired multiple smaller companies in film and television production, video games, advertising, marketing, public relations, and internet service provision. In 2010, Picus established its headquarters in Montreal, Canada. It purchased the unused Olympic Stadium and transformed the tower section into facilities for Picus TV and Picus Web. Unbeknownst to the public, an underground sub-basement acts as the base of operations for Picus Confidential. Here, Picus' well known journalist Eliza Cassan resides as an AI program on a supercomputer.

The Picus Group is clandestinely controlled by the Illuminati. Morgan Everett, a member of the Illuminati's ruling Council of Five is the CEO of Picus' Montreal branch. Beth DuClare, another member of the Council, works in the headquarters of the corporation. Together, they influence what viewpoints are expressed by Picus and use it as a tool to carry out the Illuminati's desires.

Subsidiaries
The Picus Group is composed of numerous subsidiaries and subdivisions. These include advertising agencies, public relations firms, media and entertainment studios, market research companies, communication satellite facilities, and web service providers. Some of these, like Picus TV, are universally known, while others are kept secret such as Picus Confidential. One of the original companies that merged to create Picus, Dazzle Me Magazine, continues to publish its celebrity-oriented magazine in the 2020s.

Picus TV
Picus TV is one of the most well known subdivisions of Picus Group. Its news program, Picus News Network, is aired all over the world and its primary news anchor, Eliza Cassan has gained international fame.

Picus TV uses its influence to sway the opinions of its viewers on issues such as human augmentation, the SpaceNet project and the Australian Civil War. At times, the biased view presented by Picus is barely concealed. This almost led to an official investigation in the past, which they managed to buy their way out of.

Picus Web
The Picus Web division is involved in creating and maintaining numerous websites. As well has having news sites, Picus Web hosts gaming forums, web comics, search engines, and social networking sites. Picus Web has received awards for some of its online work including an award for Best Webisode and Best Visual Design.

Picus Web staff have an approved set of terms and vocabulary that they are allowed to use on their websites and forums. In addition to this, they are encouraged to take on a certain angle in their journalism such as using the term "pro-human" rather than "anti-augmentation". One employee interprets these rules as restricting the freedom of the press and accuses the company of having an agenda. However, Picus maintains that they are ensuring that news is reported "responsibly" to the public.

The Picus Daily Standard
The Picus Daily Standard is a newspaper distributed by the Picus Group. It reports on both regional and international news. The Picus Daily Standard, although distributed physically, is viewable digitally on a tablet-like device. The contents of the newspaper appear to be loaded in real-time from the internet.

Picus Confidential
Picus Confidential is a secret subsidiary of Picus and is heavily influenced by the desires of the Illuminati. Employees of Picus Communications are explicitly informed of Picus' true agenda. The role of the division is essentially to help the hive mind of the public, who are collectively considered to have the mental age of a five year old, to reach a higher level of understanding. As far as Picus is concerned, the media has the ability to influence the opinions and emotions of the public and plans to use carefully chosen language to achieve this. They acknowledge that in the modern age, in order to maintain power, they must have control over the flow of knowledge and information. Most of what Picus Confidential does is carried out with these basic principles in mind. Picus Confidential fabricate footage of various "events" and projects, such as a violent scene related to the Mexican Drug War, the operations on Moon Base Omega and the activities of SpaceNet. This footage is created to mislead the public about the truth behind these topics, such as hiding the military involvement in the SpaceNet project and the true nature of Moon Base Omega. In collaboration with Picus TV and Picus Web, Picus Confidential help to further Picus' biased agenda with regards to mechanical augmentations. The propaganda campaign carried out by the division proves to be extremely successful. In certain polls, those in favor of regulating augmentations gained up to 32 points due to Picus' involvement. The fabrication of footage also extends to individuals. One man claims to have proof that William Taggart has connections to anti-augmentation extremists. In order to invalidate his evidence before he can even release it, Picus plan to create a video depicting him on a racist drug-induced violent episode, or in a pornographic film. It is clear that Picus Confidential have no qualms with ruining the reputation of an innocent person in order to protect the reputation of someone whose opinions line up with their agenda.

Security is of high importance for Picus Confidential. It is essential that their employees are willing to intentionally spin and manipulate the news. They are not actively encouraged to ask questions and any dissenting opinions are taken note of. One staff member who expresses regret over the work done by Picus is reported to a superior. He is referred to as a "liability" for having a conscience about the work he does.

Trivia

 * Picus was a mythological Roman king of renowned for his skill in  – interpreting the will of the gods by studying the flight of birds.
 * Another Picus, who was often conflated with the Roman King, was a minor agricultural deity whose portfolio and rituals included the fertilization of fields with the feces of animals, often bulls.