Looking for the resources you need to work more effectively with the media?  This page has a variety of Web and other publications that can help build your capacity to engage the media and get your message out.  If you are looking for a broader selection of tips and tools, please go to our Learn section.

Reporters for Your Media List
Top Reporters on Aging and Health
In order to work effectively with the media, you need a media list with key reporters who may be interested in covering your work.  Developed for the John A. Hartford Foundation, this contact information can get you started on your own national media list and may complement what you get from your public information office, which is often more locally focused.

Yellow Book
This is a comprehensive listing of reporters, writers, editors, and producers in the leading national news media.  An annual subscription is $420, so check with your public information office to see if they have this or a similar resource before you sign up.

Hartford Grantee News
Click here for a list of recent news coverage from the Hartford network.  Note the news outlets and writers/producers of these stories, as you may want to add them to your media list.

Stay Informed
One of the best ways to develop media coverage is to find a news hook, that is, a story that is already being covered, and then position your research/work in relation to that story.  In order to do that, you need to know what is going on in the media world.  Read local and national newspapers, listen to NPR, even watch the evening news (if you can stand it).  Another resource that may be helpful is:

CAAR
The Current Awareness in Aging Report (CAAR) is a tremendous resource.  When you subscribe, you receive a daily email with links to major stories on aging from around the world.  In addition, you receive a free weekly email report that can keep up to date with the latest developments in the field, including:

• Data releases and updates from government and non-governmental sources,
• Working papers, reports, books, press releases and websites,
• Updates in the bibliographies of major aging-related studies,
• Journal tables of contents, and
• Conferences and grant announcements.

CAAR is a free resource so subscribe now!

Newswire Services
A newswire service manages outreach to the media on your behalf.  You specify the types of media you want to reach, and they will do the work for you.  Newswire services are especially helpful when you want to reach a large number of media outlets.  Your public information office may have access to some or all of the following resources, but if you will be doing media outreach yourself, it may be helpful to pay for access to an up-to-date listing of media outlets.

IssueLab is a free news service/dissemination vehicle that promotes social change by publicizing research on social issues via the Internet. 

EurekAlert! is an online subscription-based global news service that provides a central place through which universities, medical centers, journals, government agencies, corporations, and other organizations engaged in research can bring their news to the media.  EurekAlert! features news and resources focused on all areas of science, medicine, and technology.  An annual subscription for nonprofit organizations costs approximately $1,250, or you may choose to pay a fee of $125.00 per press release.  

PRNewswire allows you to upload news releases, photos, and multimedia for distribution via the "wire."  With this service you can reach tens of thousands of individual journalists, general and trade media outlets, financial audiences, Web sites, and beyond. Fees vary according to distribution options, but expect to pay at least $360 for a regional distribution.

Media Monitoring
News clips can be helpful materials to provide in information packages and grant proposals or reports. 

Google News.  A good, no-cost way of tracking at least some of your media hits is Google News.  You can use a key word search on an important phrase in your press release and see if your research has been picked up.  This won’t pick up all your media clips, but it is free.  You can also use Google Alerts, to receive an email any time a key word is used (like your name) in a news story on Google News.

Cision (formerly Bacons)
This company provides an array of media services including news tracking and monitoring, strategic communications planning/evaluation, and direct connections to media sources.  While pricing varies depending on the type of media you’re monitoring and the frequency, a typical monthly cost to monitor approximately 20,000 print publications would be about $300 plus a per article fee of over $250.  Monitoring of Internet news costs $195 per month.  Discounts for bundling services are also available.