Do you know how a newspaper or television news station gets its news? Yes, the local news comes from reporters that work the area. But what about those global stories that are being reported on regularly? I do not think it is in the budget of your tiny city newspaper to send reporters out across the globe. No, there is a good chance that your global news comes from press releases that are provided by reporters that are actually scattered over the world.

A press release is when a reporter takes all of the pertinent information that needs to be provided for a news story, boils it down into a page or so, and then sends it off to news organizations. Depending upon the organization that the reporter works for, the story may only reach those news groups that are subscribed to his organization. Or, if he is a freelance reporter, he can bring it to various news groups and sell it. Or, if you are lucky, the press release will be put on one of a few sites that host free press releases.

These free PR sites are great because anyone can get access to them, and it is a great way to receive your news instantly, straight from the source. This way you do not have to wait for several hours until it is reported on the evening news, and you do not worry about any information being skewed by a less than honest news group. I am not saying that they all do it, or that your group does it, but there are some out there that do. It is a risk that you take by trusting corporations for your news.

But that risk is not present with the free online press release services. With those free PR sites you can get the concentrated news as it is being reported from the site. No need to be concerned with filters, no need to wait. Just instant access to the latest facts. And if you are a news start up, you may not have the funds to subscribe to a big news wire service just yet. Looking at the free sites can help you to get started and get your foot in the news door.