For some dry information that's more of reference to me, read on. Otherwise, you may want to pursue other entries.
First up, the setting. I have yet to decide a really solid timeframe, but right now I'm pinning it somewhere in the mid 22nd century, say 2160s. Man has taken to the stars, not because Earth is uninhabitable or unsustainable (I am being fairly generous here, I am aware of all the things that can go wrong, I am simply choosing to take the best), but because competition between governments and private business had ensued in a new space race.
Though there is no extraterrestrial life (at least, not discovered or contacted with), man has conquered the near reaches of space. Planets up to Jupiter and its moons have been successfully co-opted into a sort of solar frontier. The reasons for this are mostly limitations. Man cannot travel faster than the speed of light with ship-integrated motors yet, for example. In order to be able to travel far distances (for example, Mars to Earth), nuclear ion drive is employed. One can reach Mars within a few days if orbits are optimumal, worst case scenario is about a week and a half. The reason planets beyond Jupiter's moons have yet to be conquered is that the infrastructure is not yet available. Exploration can occur on farther planets, but sustainable terraforming cannot occur yet. Nations are currently looking into Stargate-type technology in order to speed up travel, but it is still in the prototype phase and unlikely to see introduction for many years.
This means that, for now, the main areas of interest are Venus, Mars, and the moons of Jupiter, such as Io, Europa, et cetera. Mercury is, at present, too hot as it is far too close to the sun for terraforming. It has, however, become a mining outpost, and sees significant transient cargo traffic. Crews must cycle constantly to avoid "Mercury Disease," consequences of being too close to the sun's radiation and Mercury's lack of atmosphere.
Venus is less of a cesspool, though humanity has not had as much success terraforming it as they have with Mars. The lack of available water made things very difficult. Though it's not full of carbon dioxide and sulfur, life still struggles to be self-sustaining. Unlike Mars, without constant resupply from Earth the Venus mission would be a complete failure. Nevertheless, Venus contains useful products for Earth and like Mercury remains a strategic mining outpost, taking in much of Mercury's raw materials as well as its own.
Mars, on the other hand, is a complete success in both a tactical and strategic ways. A significant amount of backstory happens on Mars. It is where Elena and Erik first meet, for example. Mars, at this point, is enough like a second Earth, where it is independent... to a degree. Mars' government still falls under the jurisdiction of Earth's interplanetary code, as most of the activity falls under corporations. It is often time a struggle for Martians to get their fair shake from the central coalition back at Earth.
The moons of Jupiter were prime places to create outposts. Once again, resource exploitation is the prime goal, though small pockets of humanity reside on these moons and attempt to use them as "getaways" from Mars or Earth. Many entrepreneurs attempt to utilize these nascent worlds for gain, although most have met with failure. Inbetween these lies the asteroid belt, a barren wasteland that makes travel between the moons and Mars or Earth difficult.
This brings us full circle back to Earth. In the 22nd century, there is no "one world government," though the federations started in the twentieth century and earlier endure, albeit in different forms. For example, the European Union still exists, except with several more member states. The North American continent has turned into the American Protectorate, given the increased cooperation and production between the United States, Canada, Mexico, and several central American nations. Given the expansion of the former NATO, the extra-government American Protectorate exists to serve the interests of the continent abroad, making it easier to share military strength and trade. Though there isn't much war these days, insurgency is always a problem, especially with the unfederated nations in the middle East and Central Asia.
The main threat to most is the machinations of large corporations; capitalism still reigns supreme and the failed plans of many businessmen cause lots of headlines. Though most of the world governments have managed to stay mostly out of the way, once again unfederated nations have become an issue. Small, struggling nations often find it hard to resist the money of a business, and often turn a blind eye to the business interests that fund them.
-- Reporting the News
It's the job of Elena and Erik to expose the goings-on of these corporations, as well as governments and other businesses. This is not unlike modern news media, except it serves as a foil to competing news networks that have been co-opted by governments, or in the case of Janus, have significant influence within their host nation's government and work together for their mutual self interests.
Due to the nature of law, Janus cannot use paramilitary force to dispose of its competitors; legitimate buyouts remain the current option. This doesn't mean that they will not perform underhanded deeds to make these buyouts happen - just that they cannot go in guns blazing. This cycle has gone on until Janus had become the premiere player in the news business, often as smaller companies start up they cannot compete or are simply bought out.
Though it is the future and you would think that holograms or robots would handle newscasting duties, humanity still does not have the technology of sentient androids or independent (e.g., not chained to a projector) holograms. In addition, projection holograms that resemble actual humans too much are often found to be repulsive; they are largely doomed to amusement parks and children's toys and games.
Television has advanced, yet still remains strikingly similar. General broadcasting is out in favor of on-demand video, the few exceptions are things like weather and news. Screens have been replaced with holographic projectors, and many passive parts of the former internet have mostly migrated to the hybrid medium.
The internet itself has evolved to a structure that can handle interplanetary communications; it was rechristened as Starnet as a result. Olden-day neckbeards are referred to as "netrunners" - people who spend little time other than scouring the net for things they find interesting. Genesis employs several of these, and they are a key source for Elena's leads. Without a set of skilled netrunners, news would probably cease to function. Quantity does not equal quality, though, and a close-knit team of skilled runners can outmaneuver a large, disconnected team of individuals.
Another key component is skilled video aggregators. See the entry on Erik for more on this role.
Field reporters, like Elena, often act on their own accord, under the light touch of an editor. Though much "fluffier" news can be acquired via netrunners and a team of writers, actual investigative journalism must be performed by the skilled hand and minds of a professional. A successful reporter will be able to get their segments in on time and focus on the groundbreaking stories. The reporters must also be allocated wisely, and an editor like Oscar with a solid foundation will get results faster and right the first time, as opposed to other news agencies like Janus which simply send out scads of reporters. The "shotgun" approach only works with an organization the size of Janus; smaller organizations like Genesis require the skilled touch of an expert.
--- Technology
The future is semi-plausible. That is, I'm not going all-out crazy here. However, the future is less Star Trek and more The Jetsons in its style. Some key items are nanosuits, which are still in the prototype phase. These clothes can meld together with other nanomachine-embedded clothes and be able to create new forms, such as a full-body sealed suit with a transparent helmet - perfect for diving, environmental protection, and other uses.
Propulsion technology has been miniaturized as well, allowing for things such as rocket boots (or for our female characters, more stylish options).
Essentially, the technology exists to drive the story further. I don't think too much about it, other than making sure I don't make an ass out of myself when it comes to consistency.
-- What's next?
Some more character bios, and maybe some more detailed information. We'll see. Probably a timeline. Who knows.
Just a quick sketch of Ellie and Erik enjoying some of Jim's pizza.