You
want to keep up with the newest developments in areas
that affect people’s lives - health, children,
homes, diets, finances. How do you get up-to-the-minute
news? You’re working on a story about a government program or issue, or
you want to interview a government spokesperson. How do you find the
right place to call?
You've got very limited space, but you want to give your readers a
source for more information. Where can you direct them?
The answer
to all of these questions is the Federal Citizen Information
Center (FCIC). To
get the help you need call FCIC’s Media Hotline at (202)
501-1794 or email us. We’re available between 7:30 a.m. and 5:00 p.m.
Eastern Time. If we can’t answer your questions immediately, we’ll
research them and call back promptly with your answers. And we’ll do
everything we can to meet your deadline!
FCIC also offers the following free media
services:
What Is the Federal Citizen Information
Center?
The Federal Citizen Information Center (FCIC) was established in February
2000 as the result of a merger of the Consumer Information Center (CIC)
and the Federal Information Center (FIC). The merger combined the Consumer
Information Catalog, Consumer Information Center’s website (pueblo.gsa.gov),
and the Pueblo publication distribution program with the FIC nationwide
toll-free telephone assistance center. The new FCIC now serves as a
trusted, one-stop source for answers to questions about Federal agencies,
programs, and services. At the National
Contact Center, a specially trained staff answers questions
in English and Spanish from the general public about all aspects of
the Federal government or direct callers to an appropriate contact.
The public can access the call center by calling toll-free 1
(800) FED INFO (1-800-333- 4636) between 8 a.m. and 8 p.m.
ET.
FCIC maintains close ties with more than 100 different Federal offices,
agencies and departments, as well as many consumer and trade organizations.
Call the FCIC media staff at (202) 501-1794 and we
can help you find the right contacts at these agencies and organizations
quickly.
FCIC’s Websites
A great way to keep up-to-date on the latest consumer news is through
Federal Citizen Information Center’s websites at pueblo.gsa.gov.
You can access a library of "New
for Consumers" press releases and find all of
the latest consumer information you need in our online
press room. Additional features include updates of consumer
news and notes from various Federal agencies, listings
of the latest
scams and product
recalls and a calendar of
consumer-related events. Visitors can read, print out,
or save the current Catalog and the full text of all the publications
listed.
Consumeraction.gov features
the full text of the Consumer Action Handbook. The Handbook offers
tips on buying and leasing
cars, protecting
your privacy and yourself from fraud,
and shopping
from home. It also includes links to hundreds of other
Federal websites; state,
local and county consumer agencies; FCIC corporate
publishing partners; consumer
organizations; and corporations and trade
associations with ongoing consumer programs.
USA.gov is
the official U.S. gateway to all government information. This site
pulls together more millions of Federal, state and local government
web pages. Here, citizens can get easy-to-understand information and
services from the government 24 hours a day, seven days a week. They
can also use an e-mail
form to send questions and comments for a response within
two business days. The public can use USA.gov’s Citizen’s
Gateway to access information on such topics as Social
Security, filing taxes, buying surplus Federal property, and more.
The Business
Gateway links to information on business opportunities,
laws, and regulations. The Government
Gateway connects to important resources for Federal, state,
local, and tribal governments.
In addition, FCIC operates kids.gov,
the official interagency children’s portal to the U.S. government,
linking kids to all the children’s resources of the Federal government.
The site features more than 400 kid-friendly links in one easy-to-find
place. Links are organized by topic area and by whether they are a
government agency, school, private or commercial organization. The
links are safe and age-appropriate.
Consumer Information Catalog
The Consumer
Information Catalog is the way that many people
learn about booklets available from Pueblo, Colorado 81009. The
free Catalog is published quarterly, and it lists lists
nearly 200 free and low-cost federal booklets on everything from
employment to health, money management to housing, food to getting
Federal benefits. These booklets can be ordered via the Web, toll-free phone or by mail.
Complimentary Review Copies of Booklets
Members of the media can order complimentary review copies of both
free and sales publications. Our most requested publication is the Consumer
Action Handbook. For a copy of the Handbook, the Consumer
Information Catalog, or to request copies of specific publications,
call the Media Hotline at (202) 501-1794 or
email us.
New for Consumers Releases
New for Consumers news releases give tips from publications listed
on our website and in the quarterly Catalog. A New
for Consumers release can be used to offer a publication to your audience,
or the substantive information in the release can be incorporated
into a column or feature story. For selected major
articles in large circulation newspapers or magazines, FCIC can
give your promotion a unique address and count the number of orders
your story generates. You can choose to have hard copies of our New
for Consumers releases mailed to you, or you can receive them
electronically via FCIC’s
Media E-mail List.
Public Service Advertisements
The Federal Citizen Information Center produces public service advertising
for television, radio, print
media and the Web. The
TV and radio spots are professionally produced to be entertaining
as well as informative,
usually with a humorous theme. They are available in 60,
30, 20, 15, and 10-second lengths. The TV spots are available
on DVD,
DVC Pro and Beta SP formats. Radio spots are available
on CDs. The print ads come in multiple sizes,
ranging from one-half
column inch to a full page and are in black and white and
color. FCIC can satisfy any special printing or electronic
requirements for print
ads.
Special Addresses for the Media
The Federal Citizen Information Center maintains a variety of special
addresses to help speed the processing of orders received in Pueblo.
The addresses given in the New
for Consumers releases are set up especially for
media-generated orders.
The addresses listed in the Consumer Information Catalog are
for booklets ordered only by using the Catalog order form. If you plan
to list one or more booklets from the Catalog, please call the Media
Hotline at (202) 501-1794 to get the correct
mailing address, telephone number, and/or website address for the online
order form and to make sure FCIC’s distribution facility in Pueblo
has enough copies of the publication to meet your audience’s needs.
Printer-friendly
version
Updated July 2009
|