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Topic: Getting access to embargoed stories
| Author | Message |
| D_S | Posted – 7/31/2007 5:33:53 AM | show profile I used to scour Newswise and other wires to find FOB ideas. I had some success pitching stories to a few national (monthly, bimonthly) mags. Now, I want to write online news stories for magazine websites updated daily. What surprises me is that the stories I choose to pitch make it before I can actually pitch them. I start to research a story as soon as it appears on the wires. So, I guess these journalists are doing something that I am not -- they have access to the stories before these are actually published. I hope that is the case? So, how can I get access to embargoed stories? Do I ask PR firms to add me to their mailing list etc.? Or there is some other way? Thanks in advance |
| JimmyG | Posted – 7/31/2007 4:47:22 PM | show profile Getting on PR email lists is certainly a good start, but you often have to be on a "long lead" (i.e. magazine) list to get embargoed info much ahead of its official release. Otherwise you pretty much have to be beat reporter with inside contacts to be first at the information trough in this instant-information age. Even with inside info I wonder if it's possible to pitch breaking news to a web site. Some sites are in such a hurry to post info they just run the press releases intact, while others use their staffers to bang out an instant blug entry in the early morning when such missives are released. Maybe it's better to pitch yourself to such sites and try and find one who's willing to have a freelancer regularly post breaking info for a given area. |
| Mag Girl | Posted – 7/31/2007 5:01:58 PM | show profile D_S, what kind of subject matter are you interested in? |
| D_S | Posted – 7/31/2007 9:46:23 PM | show profile Mag Girl, I am basically interested in science stuff. Jimmy, Have a look at the websites of The Scientist and Cosmos magazines. They run news stories, and they are freelancer-written. |
| D_S | Posted – 7/31/2007 10:40:57 PM | show profile Newswise consigns embargoed stories to journalists, provided they prove to them they are full-time journalists. OK, so I guess I busted the secret! |
