Media Relations Officers and Individualized Assistance

The Foreign Press Centers are structured to provide personal assistance for your professional work. The most important resource the Centers offer is the experience and knowledge of the media relations officers. Each geographic area -- Europe, North and South America including the Caribbean, the Middle East, Asia, Africa -- is covered by a Foreign Press Center media relations officer. This person knows the area, speaks one or more of its languages, and understands the needs of journalists from the area.   Contact information for FPC media relations officers can be found at "Contact the FPC."

Press Credentials
Your media relations officer in Washington guides you in obtaining press credentials for the White House, Congress, State Department and Pentagon. In New York, the media relations officer advises on how to obtain a Police Department press pass and United Nations press credentials.  The Centers will help you get accredited to summit meetings, diplomatic conferences and special events. For more details on receiving press passes see the "Press Credentials" section.

News Opportunities
The media relations officer will notify you of special press conferences or breaking news events. In Washington, you will be notified by email, or telephone .

Interviews
All Foreign Press Centers facilitate media access to news sources and will suggest contacts to help you succeed with your assignments.

Travel Assistance
All Centers give general guidance on travel to other regions of the United States. Media relations officers will not make hotel, airline or other reservations, but will help you make appropriate choices.

Research Services
The Technical Information Specialist at the Foreign Press Centers provides background materials, statistics, biographical information, full-text newspaper stories and transcripts.  Video, audio and transcripts of Foreign Press Center briefings can be obtained via the FPC web site.

Television/Video Taping
Broadcast journalists can call the Foreign Broadcast Support Unit in the Washington FPC for assistance with live and video-taped events. The staff will help arrange interviews, do subject and footage research, and plan shooting locations.

Department of Defense Liaison
At the Washington Center, a military officer from the DOD acts as the program officer for foreign journalists covering the U.S. defense community and national security issues