Internet Resources For Foreign Correspondents

Stephen Quinn, Deakin University, Australia

Digital technologies mean that foreign correspondents have a new range of tools to help them do their job better. Some of the tools -- the satellite dish and the mobile telephone for example -- help journalists get their stories back to base more quickly. Others such as the Internet help reporters gather information more efficiently. This article lists Internet tools and sites that foreign correspondents can use.

Email should be a basic tool for all journalists, but it is especially useful for foreign correspondents because it provides access to contacts anywhere in the world. It also defeats telephone tag. Your message will be waiting in the person’s electronic mail box when they log on. Some of the best electronic tools available to foreign correspondents are Profnet and ExpertNet.

Profnet <www.profnet.com> provides a direct link to more than 6,000 information officers at universities, corporations, think tanks, laboratories, medical centres, non-profits, and public relations agencies -- mostly in North America. PR Newswire <www.prnewswire.com> acquired ProfNet in 1998. Journalists should contact ProfNet to seek a list of experts to interview. The quickest way is to send an email to profnet@profnet.com with your request.

ExpertNet <www.cvcp.ac.uk/WhatWeDo/ExpertNet/expertnet.html> is the UK equivalent. It is run by the vice chancellors’ committee, which represents all UK universities. Again, the easiest way to contact ExpertNet is via email -- at expert@cvcp.ac.uk. Responses usually arrive within 24 hours. Tell both groups if your need is urgent. It is also possible to “cloak” queries if your story is secret, or to restrict distribution to only part of the distribution network.

... continued