Communications professionals can now offer journalists in-depth information on expert sources directly from the news releases in which they are featured, through two new complimentary services, ProfNet(SM) Profiles and ProfNet(SM) Links, introduced by PR Newswire.

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The new services extend the utility of news releases by enabling reporters to evaluate and connect with academic, government and corporate sources spotlighted by PR professionals more efficiently, according to Dan Forbush, president of PR Newswire's ProfNet Experts service.

"Reporters on deadline are pressed for time and are always looking for information from qualified experts; these two new services will make news releases a better resource by sharply increasing the accessibility of sources with whom reporters can easily connect," Forbush noted.

ProfNet Profiles, a service available to PR Newswire and ProfNet members, at no additional charge, allows members to create an unlimited number of expert profiles for inclusion in the ProfNet Experts database. Once these profiles are created, a member, using PR Newswire's secure customer extranet, PRN Direct, can link their news release to the profile of the expert they have posted in the ProfNet Experts database. ProfNet Links is designed to increase experts' exposure by making additional information easier to access for the more than 70,000 journalists registered at PR Newswire for Journalists, PR Newswire's media-only Web site, where more than 1 million news releases were viewed in March 2004. The news releases with links to profiles are also accessible to reporters from among the 3,600 Web sites to which PR Newswire sends its members' news.

Through all its services, ProfNet Experts strives to establish a stronger link between PR professionals and journalists, noted Forbush, who launched the service in 1992 as a simple listserv.

In addition to ProfNet Profiles and ProfNet Links, PR Newswire's ProfNet Experts service includes: the ProfNet Database, where more than 13,000 expert profiles are searched daily by reporters on deadline; ProfNet Search, which enables reporters on deadline to send queries to as many as 11,000 communications professionals in North America, Africa and Europe daily; and the ProfNet Wire, a direct distribution of timely sources sent to reporters as a weekly email tipsheet.

About PR Newswire

Now in its 50th year, PR Newswire Association LLC (http://www.prnewswire.com/) provides electronic distribution, targeting, measurement, translation and broadcast services on behalf of some 40,000 corporate, government, association, labor, non-profit, and other customers worldwide who seek to reach a variety of critical audiences including the news media, the investment community, government decision-makers, and the general public with their up-to-the-minute, full-text news developments. Established in 1954, PR Newswire has offices in 14 countries and routinely sends its customers' news to outlets in 135 countries and in 30 languages. Utilizing the latest in communications technology, PR Newswire content is considered a mainstay among news reporters, investors and individuals who seek breaking news from the source. PR Newswire's leading brands include ProfNet(SM), eWatch™, Online MEDIAtlas™ and MultiVu™. PR Newswire is a subsidiary of United Business Media plc of London.

Contact: Rachel Asche, Director of Public Relations, PR Newswire, 212.282.1929 or rachel.asche@prnewswire.com

Available Topic Expert(s): For information on the listed expert(s), click
                            appropriate link.

                               Dan Forbush
            http://www.profnet.com/ud_public.jsp?userid=80237

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SOURCE: PR Newswire