CNW Group is introducing a new system, Access CNW, that will allow the user self-manage their news releases by uploading news releases, photos and multimedia files.

“One of the most frequent and consistent requests we get from our clients is to give them faster, more direct access to the wire,” said Melanie Kurzuk, Senior Vice-President News and Information Technology Division, CNW Group. “[This puts our] clients in the driver’s seat and gives them an integrated online dashboard to issue and manage their own news materials in an environment that supports regulatory compliance.”

Currently in beta testing, Access CNW is expected to be released to the public shortly.

“Full market launch of Access CNW will depend on the results of our beta trial, but we're working toward a back-to-school (early fall) timeframe,” said Laurie Smith, Director, Marketing and Communications.

Some features of Access CNW**:

• Flexible management of news release editing, approval, review and distribution;
• Control of release distribution by region, sector, disclosure network, and custom list options;
• Full range of timing, preview, revision history and release confirmation options;
• Real-time management of proprietary client fax and e-mail distribution lists
• Centralized booking and coordination of web casts and conference calls;
• Direct access booking service for CNW Group photo assignment and video production services;
• Expert assistance from CNW Group's trained team available online and by phone 24/7

**Source: CNW Group (formerly known as Canada NewsWire)

All news releases will still be proofread and screened, to assure the accuracy of each release and to make sure they will be compatible with the wire feeds. On occasion releases are not sent out because of problems with content being unsuitable.

“Copy submitted by our clients is formatted to accommodate the wire feed. To ensure no errors were made in the formatting phase, we proofread every release quite carefully. At this time, we take a good look at the content for errors in spelling, grammar or consistency, and we check it for general newswire suitability, and appropriateness,” said Smith. "In 2006, our News Centre team spotted and corrected 8,777 errors in client content. Their current accuracy rate is sitting at 99.93%".

More information on the new service can be found by emailing: infoaccess@newswire.ca.

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