Press release of the future p. 29

By: Editorial Staff ? Release won't include as much background information; this material will be housed on corporate Web sites that can be accessed with a click of the mouse.
? Journalists will be able to search for information by keyword in Web site press rooms.
? Internet telephony will enable instant response to questions by pressing on a button on electronic press releases.
? E-mail press releases will be more accurately targeted to the appropriate reporters, thanks to large database of thorough journalists profiles.

Getting the news first is still the business of journalism whether it's conducted on paper or in cyberspace.
With this in mind, an array of online information and promotional services have sprung up ? all aimed at getting a client's message to journalists and editors so they can spread the word. Most of these services are free to news organizations; they make their money by charging the clients. But a few of them levy a fairly nominal fee for journalists. Some of the best known services are:

PRnewswire
www.prnewswire.com
This service existed long before there was an Internet. It was started in the 1940s to circulate business news to newspapers in New York City. It's now worldwide and the information it offers is much broader, although about 70% is still business-oriented.

Profnet
www. profnet.com
Profnet, short for Professor's Network, is a subsidiary of PRewswire, but its beginnings are in the academic community. Writers in need to sources can e-mail, fax or telephone a description of the story on which they are working, and ProfNet will spread the word via e-mail to 2,300 colleges and universities, corporate and private public relations groups, government agencies, nonprofit organizations and an assortment of think tanks, scientific associations and laboratories.

EurekAlert!
www.eurekalert.org
This comprehensive service for science, medicine and technologt writers is a project of the American Association for the Advancement of Science. It's run by an advisory committee with representatives from major journalistic organizations as well as academics, scientists and health professionals. Journalists must provide credentials.

Newswise
www.newswise.com
University information services and many non-profit organizations promote a variety of stories here. They include lifestyle, medical and business topics. To gain access to embargoed stories, reporters must register and submit three published clips. Upon acceptance, reporters are e-mailed frequent alerts about new stories available on the site.

WebClipper
www.handsnet.org
WebClipper introduced itself to the newspaper community at last year's annual convention of the American Society of Newspaper Editors. Its primary goal is to promote the news and interests of human service organizations.

URLWire
www.urlwire. com
Technology reporters rely on Eric Ward's URLWire for news that fits their needs precisely. The service is very personal. Reporters send Ward a detailed e-mail describing who they are, what organization they write for the the topics they cover.

Internet Wire
www.interetwire.com
Using push technology, Internet Wire distributes press releases to business and technology reporters. Most of the material comes from commerical providers with a new media interest.

Xpress News Service
www.xpresspress.com
Journalists fill out a media registration form on site letting Xpress know their specialties. A sophisticated filter will make sure that the press releases they receive via e-mail are targeted to their interests.

Daybook News
www.yearbook.com;
www.daybook.com
The Yearbook of Experts, Authorities & Spokespersons is an interactive source for lifestyle and business writers. Reporters plug in a keyword and up comes a list of names, phone numbers and e-mail addresses. Many of them also have RealAudio tapes available ? just click on the link.

Business Wire
www.businesswire.com
Reporters can create their own personal news profile at this site. Business Wire delivers all the headlines that match their profile to their Web site or e-mail address.

Internet News Bureau
www.newsbureau.com
News releases about the Internet and Internet-related businesses are delivered to registered reporters via e-mail. There is also a searchable archive.

Inquisit
www.inquisit.com
Inquisit lets a reporter track virtually any topic that he wants and delivers about 50 alerts a day on that issue via e-mail, pager, or cell phone. The service monitors more than 600 content sources representing all sorts of media.

Jaffee Legal News Service
www.getserious.com/publicityA.html
This electronic publication with its accompanying archive offers alerts about legal issues and sources for information.

KidBeat
casey.umd.edu
The Casey Journalism Center for Children and Families sponsors this e-mail list for reporters of family issues. The near-daily posts include sources and topics worth exploring. Most of the subscribers are daily journalists covering family beats.

KnowX
www.knowx.com
This is not strictly a news service, but it is a useful source of firsthand information. After registering, you can search on any name to access a database of residences, death records, home values, and home buyers, and sellers. You can also conduct a pretty thorough background check, finding lawsuits, judgments, liens, and bankruptcies.

?(For a list of major PR on the Web with detailed description, please visit:
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