The Washington Post and washingtonpost.com Launch the Fed Page Inside the Government Workforce
A Deep Look Inside the Workings of the Federal Government
After breaking a new page-view record yesterday, The Washington Post and washingtonpost.com today launch The Fed Page, an in-depth, on-line look at the Federal Government’s workforce, departments and contracting practices amid the first major administration changeover in eight years. www.washingtonpost.com/fedpage
The Fed Page: Inside the Government Workforce will provide vital information to workers in the government, contractors who work with the government, and readers who want to understand the Federal Government’s inner workings. In coming weeks, amid the transition, the site will offer insights into officials up for key posts in the new administration.
“In many ways, Washington is a company town, and the company that runs the town is the government,” said Marcus Brauchli, The Post’s Executive Editor. “This page will bring together our myriad journalistic strengths with content that is about, for and even by people who depend on the Federal Government. We’ll bring sophisticated and thorough coverage to the federal workforce culture and the vast and costly array of contracting and procurement activities.”
“The Fed Page takes the Post’ in-depth reporting and incorporates the technology and tools to let readers go even deeper into the policy-making process,” said Liz Spayd, Editor of washingtonpost.com. “Adding continuous news, video, live discussions and resources covering the spectrum of federal issues, the page gives readers an expansive, insider’s channel to government news and information.”
The page will include the following features:
Blogs:
* The Federal Eye—A new multi-media blog by veteran washingtonpost.com journalist Ed O’Keefe that will be the eyes and ears inside the federal bureaucracy (launching next week). Regular posts provide an intimate picture of government life, from whistle blowing to the transition of a new administration.
* In the Loop—Longtime Washington Post columnist Al Kamen reports throughout the week on the comings and goings and pratfalls of the Federal Government.
* The Federal Diary—Joe Davidson’s popular print column will be a central online dimension, reporting on the critical issues facing federal employees.
* Government Inc.—Robert O’Harrow Jr. provides an insider’s look at a wide range of government agency contracting, including defense and intelligence activities.
Tools:
* Navigating the Bureaucracy —Interactive navigation bar providing readers information on how to obtain federal jobs, current pay and benefits information, contracting and federal procurement information and more.
* The Revolving Door—Aggressive and timely reporting on incoming and outgoing federal officials, bureaucrats and the changes in administration.
* Recommended Reading—A collection of the day’s most relevant stories from around the Web, including government workforce websites.
* Government Worker Polls—Gauges opinions on important and interesting matters from the biggest impediment to doing good work to the “best” or “worst” cafeterias in government buildings.
* Thrifty Savings Plan—Widget enabling federal workers to regularly check up on their retirement plans.
Interactive Features:
* Live Discussions—A source for government employees and national audiences to ask questions about the inner workings of Federal Government.
* Discussion Groups—The Post’s Federal Government experts including Al Kamen, Joe Davidson, Ed O’Keefe and Robert O’Harrow Jr., will host regular online discussion groups for readers looking for in-depth conversations on federal news.
The Fed Page: Inside the Government Workforce is available at the following link: www.washingtonpost.com/fedpage
About washingtonpost.com
washingtonpost.com is an award-winning news and information destination that delivers world-class reporting and innovative multimedia content, creating a truly interactive news experience. Using the latest technology and tools, washingtonpost.com encourages participation and content customization across all platforms, allowing readers to engage with washingtonpost.com anytime, anywhere. Winner of four consecutive Edward R. Murrow Awards for Overall Excellence for Non-Broadcast Affiliated Web site, washingtonpost.com is owned by Washingtonpost.Newsweek Interactive, the online publishing subsidiary of The Washington Post Company. (NYSE: WPO)
Landmark Study of Commercial Newswires
PR Newswire Generates More Media Pick-up, Higher Volume of Coverage
Independent Research Firm Generates First Statistically Valid Report on Industry Following Three-Month Analysis of News Stories Resulting From Press Releases
Press releases distributed by PR Newswire get used by media more often than copy from competing services and generate more clips when they are picked up, according to a landmark study of commercial newswires.
The comprehensive study was conducted by the market research and intelligence firm Diagnostics Plus. Other third party data from web analytics providers shows PR Newswire outperforms its peers in web traffic rank and reach and in blog links, as well.
“Our entire team is gratified that an impartial review of our industry has verified that there is a significant difference in newswire services,” said Dave Armon, president of PR Newswire. “In our estimation, this study verifies a long-held belief within PR Newswire that successful news dissemination is more than simply putting a release over a wire. Consistent and impactful coverage requires a combination of state-of-the-art technology, the ability to simultaneously issue news on a global scale and in an extremely targeted manner, and a deep understanding of the media industry, in all its forms. To this point, we have always treated the news media as if they were our clients. This dedication, we believe, has endowed PR Newswire with a high level of credibility and trust that pays off in better results for issuers.”
THE STUDY
To objectively gauge media pick-up of press releases distributed by PR Newswire and its competitors - Business Wire, Marketwire and Nasdaq-owned PrimeNewswire, which has since been re-branded as GlobeNewswire - PR Newswire engaged Diagnostics Plus, an independent market research company located in State College, Pa. On each business day from April 1 to June 30, 20 press releases - five per wire service - were randomly selected and tracked using the online content libraries LexisNexis and Factiva for media pickup over a two-week period. A pick-up was defined as any reference to the release subject matter in media published after the date and time of the release. Republication of the release without alteration was not counted as pick-up.
“The release selection process was designed to minimize bias and produce a truly random sampling,” said Jim Fong, president of Diagnostics Plus and head of the five-person team that conducted the study. “The goal of the study was to measure the frequency with which media outlets pick up press releases from each of the major newswire services and the volume of coverage that those announcements received.”
PR Newswire beat its competitors across all categories measured, according to the study.
Press releases transmitted by PR Newswire were used 55% of the time, versus Marketwire’s 43% pickup rate, Business Wire’s rate of 38% and a rate of 37% by PrimeNewswire, according to the study. The difference between PR Newswire’s rate of pickup in comparison to the other wire services produced a statistically significant p-value of 0.0003. A p-value of 0.05 is the generally accepted mark of significance in scientific research. 0.01 indicates extreme significance.
Of those releases attracting attention by the media, the volume of coverage was highest with PR Newswire, followed by Business Wire, PrimeNewswire and Marketwire. PR Newswire has nearly twice the pick-up frequency as PrimeNewswire and more than twice that of Marketwire. Pick-up frequency, the number of times a single press release was reported in the media, was also significant between PR Newswire and the combined average of other services, producing a p-value of 0.0298.
Ken Dowell, executive vice president of products for PR Newswire, commented, “The study affirms the quality of content that is delivered by PR Newswire as well as the effectiveness of our media relations, including our PR Newswire for Journalists web site that has registered 100,000 journalists since launching in 1998.”
A variety of third party measures also indicate that PR Newswire leads its competitors in new media realms. For example, by two measures — Quantcast and Compete.com - the daily average number of unique visitors to prnewswire.com was double that of businesswire.com in August.
“Our content has been referred to in more blog posts, Diggs and Delicious Links than any other commercial wire service,” said Armon. “PR Newswire has the highest Google page rank in our industry, and has been referenced as a source on Wikipedia more than any other wire service as well. We believe this proves PR Newswire is the most trusted and credible source for news from the corporate and public policy sectors.”
About PR Newswire
PR Newswire Association LLC (http://www.prnewswire.com/) provides electronic distribution, targeting, measurement and broadcast services on behalf of tens of thousands of corporate, government, association, labor, non-profit, and other customers worldwide. Using PR Newswire, these organizations 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 more than 170 countries and in more than 40 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 services include ProfNet(SM), eWatch™, MEDIAtlas™, Search Engine Optimization, MediaRoom, MediaSense™, MultiVu™, U.S. Newswire, the preeminent policy newswire in the industry, Vintage Filings, the fastest growing Edgar filing company, and Hispanic PR Wire, LatinClips and Hispanic Digital Network, the foremost Hispanic communications services. PR Newswire is a subsidiary of United Business Media Limited of London.
About Diagnostics Plus
Diagnostics Plus has been serving clients for over two decades. The company specializes in providing market and media research for clients in a variety of sectors. Diagnostics Plus has worked with more than 700 organizations in 18 countries and is a member of several major research organizations including the Council for Marketing and Opinion Research (CMOR), Market Research Association (MRA) and the Council of American Survey Research Organizations (CASRO).
Exec-Appointments shortlisted for Recruiter Awards for Excellence 2008
Exec-Appointments shortlisted for Recruiter Awards for Excellence 2008 - Get more documents
Share Your Press Release for Free At These Sites!
Filed under: Book Launches, Launch Resources, Launch Tools, Site Launches
PRBuzz.com - Completely free distribution to search engines, news sites, and blogs.
PRCompass.com - Distribute your press release with a free or paid version, others can vote it up ala Digg style.
PRUrgent.com - Not only distributes your release, but attempts to teach you how to write one, and even offers downloadbale samples for you to work with.
PressAbout.com - A free press release service formatted as a blog.
PressMethod.com - Free press release distribution no matter what, but extra services based on the size of your contribution.
PRLeap.com - Free distribution to search engines, newswires, and RSS feeds. Fee based bumps get you better placement.
PRLog.org - Free distribution to Google News and other other search engines.
TheOpenPress.com - Gives free distribution for plain formatted releases, fees for HTML-coded releases.
24-7PressRelease.com - Free release distribution with ad-support
1888PressRelease.com - Free distribution, paid services gives you better placement and permanent archiving.
ClickPress.com - Distributs to sites like Google News and Topix.net, Gold level will also get you to sites like LexisNexis.
EcommWire.com - Focuses on ecommerece and requires you include an image, 3 keywords and links.
Express-Press-Release.com
- Free distribution company with offices in 12 states.
Free-Press-Release.com - Easy press release distribution for free, more features for paid accounts.
Free-Press-Release-Center.info - Distributes your release, offers a web page with one keyword link to your site. Pro upgrade will give you three links, permanent archiving and more.
I-Newswire.com - Allows for free distribution to sites and search engines, premium membership differs only slightly in adding in graphics.
NewswireToday.com - All the usual free distribution tools, premium service includes logo, product picture and more.
PR.com - Not only will they distribute your press releases, but you can also set up a full company profile.
PR9.net - Ad supported press distribution site.
PR-Inside.com - European-based free press release distribution site.