In an effort to revitalize ICA's Press Release Program, ICA is working on an Experts Initiative. Through this initiative, ICA will distribute lists of topical experts available to comment on contemporary global issues to various international media outlets. ICA members possess a wealth of information and expertise; by proactively promoting our members' expertise to worldwide news organizations, we hope to assist in getting our members' names and research known.

The initiative will follow a fairly simple process. Upon finding a trending, international news topic, ICA staff will search for experts on the subject via the ICA website's "Find a Colleague" section. Those whose profiles include the desired keywords will then be contacted to see if they would be interested and available to comment on the subject to the media. Overall, we hope to send out around three experts lists per month.

ICA members must have an updated MyICA Profile in order to be considered for inclusion on the experts list. We will find experts by searching for keywords in members' "Research Interests" field; therefore, it is important that your contact information and research interests are listed and up-to-date.

To update your information, first login to MyICA from the ICA website and click the large, marbled "MyICA" button on the right hand side of the page. Next, click on the green "Update My Profile" button; input your information in the "Research Interest" box towards the bottom of the page.

Experts lists will pertain more to overarching issues than individual events; thus, broader research interest keywords will enhance your likelihood of being found in a search for experts. For example, keywords such as "government censorship" or "crisis response" will allow you to be considered for more topics than a more narrowly defined keyword.

Remember to update your profile and keep an eye on your inbox. We look forward to connecting our exceptional experts with international media networks in the near future!