# Journalist Request Monitor: #JournoRequest Alerts (`accountable_eel/journalist-request-monitor`) Actor

New #JournoRequest and #PRrequest source requests from public Bluesky and Mastodon posts by topic, with outlet and deadline where the post states them, and a monitoring mode that only returns and bills for requests new since your last run.

- **URL**: https://apify.com/accountable_eel/journalist-request-monitor.md
- **Developed by:** [Adrian Voss](https://apify.com/accountable_eel) (community)
- **Categories:** Lead generation, Automation
- **Stats:** 2 total users, 1 monthly users, 100.0% runs succeeded, 0 bookmarks
- **User rating**: No ratings yet

## Pricing

from $0.90 / 1,000 request matcheds

This Actor is paid per event. You are not charged for the Apify platform usage, but only a fixed price for specific events.
Since this Actor supports Apify Store discounts, the price gets lower the higher subscription plan you have.

Learn more: https://docs.apify.com/actors/running/actors-in-store.md#pay-per-event

## What's an Apify Actor?

An Actor is a serverless cloud program that runs on the Apify platform. It has two run modes.
In Batch mode, an Actor accepts a well-defined JSON input, performs an action which can take anything from a few seconds to a few hours,
and optionally produces a well-defined JSON output, datasets with results, or files in key-value store.
In Standby mode, an Actor provides a web server which can be used as a website, API, or an MCP server.

Apify vocabulary and the platform model are defined once, in the agent quickstart at https://apify.com/agents.md.

## How to integrate an Actor?

If asked about integration, you help developers integrate Actors into their projects.
You adapt to their stack and deliver integrations that are safe, well-documented, and production-ready.

Do not guess an integration path. Every one of them is in the agent quickstart at https://apify.com/agents.md: the Apify MCP server, Agent Skills with the Apify CLI, the JavaScript and Python clients, the REST API, and the account-free path for an agent with no human to sign in. It also carries the rule on stating cost before the first paid run.

For examples already wired to this Actor's own input schema, see the [API](#api) section below.

Each client library has reference documentation the quickstart does not restate: [JavaScript/TypeScript](https://docs.apify.com/api/client/js/docs.md) (`npm install apify-client`) and [Python](https://docs.apify.com/api/client/python/docs.md) (`pip install apify-client`).

# README

## Journalist Request Monitor: #JournoRequest Alerts

**Get new #JournoRequest and #PRrequest source requests from public Bluesky and Mastodon posts, with the outlet and deadline when the post names them.**
One row per request, newest first, filtered to your beat. Turn on monitoring mode and run it on a schedule to get only the requests that are new since your last run, charged per request and free on a quiet day.

**Who uses it:** PR and comms teams and freelance experts who answer journalist source requests, agencies tracking a client's beat, and newsletter or lead-gen builders who want a feed of live media opportunities.

**What it does not do:** it reads public posts only. It does not log in, does not read direct messages, and returns the public handle of the poster, never a bio or display name. Outlet and deadline are read from the post text, so they are empty when the post does not state them (many requests name neither). Deadline times carry no time zone, because the posts carry none.

### How to use

1. **In the Apify Console.** Open the actor page and click **Start** — the `hashtags` field is already pre-filled with a working example. Results land in the run's dataset as soon as each item is found.
2. **Via the API.** Call it directly with a POST request — no Console needed once you have an API token:
   ```bash
   curl "https://api.apify.com/v2/acts/accountable_eel~journalist-request-monitor/run-sync-get-dataset-items?token=<YOUR_TOKEN>" \
     -X POST \
     -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
     -d '{"hashtags":["journorequest","prrequest"]}'
   ```
3. **On a schedule.** Save this actor as an Apify **Task** with the input you want, then add a **Schedule** (hourly, daily, weekly) so it runs on its own — no server of your own required.

### Input

```json
{
  "hashtags": [
    "journorequest",
    "prrequest"
  ]
}
```

One hashtag per line, without the #. Journalists post source requests under #JournoRequest and PR people under #PRrequest. Leave empty to watch both. Narrow by beat with the Topics field below. Accepted formats: journorequest, prrequest, journorequests.

One combined search runs per call: every hashtag on every network you pick is read, de-duplicated, then filtered. The **Topics** field keeps only requests whose text or outlet mentions one of your words (for example `climate` or `fintech`). Replies and reposts are ignored. Topic filters run before the monitoring memory is written, so widening a filter later still delivers what it had hidden. Bluesky carries most requests; Mastodon (mastodon.social) is quieter. The search run itself is free; you are billed per request actually returned.

### Output

One row per request, for example:

| query | found | status | searchSummary | requestCount | truncated | incompleteSources | monitorStatus | requests | source | requestText | outlet | deadline | deadlineTime | deadlinePassed | hashtags | briefUrl | postUrl | authorHandle | postedAt | isNew | firstSeenAt | scrapedAt |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| journorequest | true | OK | <search run> | <requests returned> | <more results were available> | <sources that failed> | <monitoring status> | \<all requests (full list)> | <network> | <request> | <outlet> | <deadline> | <deadline time> | \<deadline passed?> | <matched hashtags> | <brief link> | <post> | <posted by> | <posted at> | \<is this request new?> | <first seen on a run> | 1970-01-01T00:00:00.000Z |

```json
{
  "source": "bluesky",
  "hashtags": ["journorequest"],
  "requestText": "Wanted right now: UK readers' financial hopes and concerns ahead of October budget (The Guardian). Deadline 28 Oct, 12:00.\n\n#JournoRequest - the brief and how to reply",
  "outlet": "The Guardian",
  "deadline": "2026-10-28",
  "deadlineTime": "12:00",
  "deadlinePassed": false,
  "briefUrl": "https://brief.example/r/abc123",
  "postUrl": "https://bsky.app/profile/example.bsky.social/post/3mxhfjp27ke2l",
  "authorHandle": "example.bsky.social",
  "postedAt": "2026-10-09T16:30:54.505Z",
  "isNew": null,
  "firstSeenAt": null,
  "scrapedAt": "2026-10-11T18:00:00.000Z"
}
```

`outlet`, `deadline`, `deadlineTime` and `briefUrl` are `null` when the post does not state them, never `0` or an empty string. A search that matches nothing comes back as a row with `"found": false` and is never charged. In monitoring mode a quiet run returns one `found` row with `requestCount: 0` and `monitorStatus: NO_NEW_REQUESTS`, also never charged.

### Pricing

- **Request matched**: $1.80 per 1,000 requests

Plus a $0.00005 start fee per run. Each event above is billed independently, only when it actually returns data — misses (`found:false`) are never charged.

### Example runs

Paste any of these into the Input tab and press Start. All three return rows with no key, no token
and no account of your own beyond an Apify login.

**Both hashtags, both networks, last 7 days.** The default shape.

```json
{
  "hashtags": ["journorequest", "prrequest"],
  "sources": "both",
  "sinceDays": 7
}
```

**One beat: money and economy requests, Bluesky only, last 14 days.**

```json
{
  "hashtags": ["journorequest"],
  "topics": ["money", "economy", "budget"],
  "sources": "bluesky",
  "sinceDays": 14
}
```

**A daily alert: only requests new since the last run.** Save as a Task and add a schedule.

```json
{
  "hashtags": ["journorequest"],
  "topics": ["health", "wellbeing"],
  "onlyNewSinceLastRun": true,
  "deltaName": "health-requests"
}
```

The first run of a monitoring search returns everything in the window and remembers it; from the next
run on you only get, and pay for, requests that are new.

### Use it from Clay, n8n, Make, or an AI agent

This actor runs synchronously over plain HTTP — call it directly from a script, a workflow tool, or an AI agent, no Apify Console needed once you have an API token.

```bash
curl "https://api.apify.com/v2/acts/accountable_eel~journalist-request-monitor/run-sync-get-dataset-items?token=<YOUR_TOKEN>" \
  -X POST \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{"hashtags":["journorequest","prrequest"]}'
```

**n8n.** Add an HTTP Request node: Method `POST`, URL `https://api.apify.com/v2/acts/accountable_eel~journalist-request-monitor/run-sync-get-dataset-items?token=<YOUR_TOKEN>`, Body Content Type `JSON`, JSON Body `{"hashtags":["journorequest","prrequest"]}` (swap in an expression from an earlier node for a real value).

**Clay.** Add an "HTTP API" column: Method `POST`, URL `https://api.apify.com/v2/acts/accountable_eel~journalist-request-monitor/run-sync-get-dataset-items?token=<YOUR_TOKEN>`, Body `{"hashtags":["{{search}}"]}`, mapping the row's search into the `hashtags` array.

**MCP.** In Claude, Cursor, or any MCP client with the Apify MCP server, ask for "journalist requests monitor" — the agent will find and run this actor.

# Actor input Schema

## `hashtags` (type: `array`):

One hashtag per line, without the #. Journalists post source requests under #JournoRequest and PR people under #PRrequest. Leave empty to watch both. Narrow by beat with the Topics field below. Accepted formats: journorequest, prrequest, journorequests. You're only charged for the ones we actually find — a miss costs nothing.

## `topics` (type: `array`):

Optional. Keep only requests whose text or outlet mentions any of these words, for example climate, fintech, parenting. Leave empty for every request.

## `testRun` (type: `boolean`):

Turn this on to test your input on a small sample before running the full list. Turn it off to process everything.

## `onlyFound` (type: `boolean`):

Only keep rows where something was actually found. Misses are always free, whether or not you show them here.

## `includeKeywords` (type: `array`):

Optional. Only keep results that mention at least one of these words (e.g. a job title, a city, a product name). Leave empty to keep everything.

## `excludeKeywords` (type: `array`):

Optional. Drop any result that mentions one of these words. Leave empty to skip nothing.

## `maxResults` (type: `integer`):

Up to 200. Caps how many requests you get (and pay for) in one run; the newest are kept.

## `sources` (type: `string`):

Where to look. Bluesky carries most requests; Mastodon is quieter.

## `sinceDays` (type: `integer`):

Up to 90. Requests older than this are ignored.

## `onlyNewSinceLastRun` (type: `boolean`):

On: only requests not seen on your previous run are returned and charged for. Schedule this actor to get a journalist request alert. Off: every matching request is returned every time.

## `deltaName` (type: `string`):

Optional. Name this search's monitoring memory so two schedules stay apart, or keep one memory across an input change. Leave empty to derive one from your hashtags, topics and networks.

## `columns` (type: `array`):

Choose which pieces of information to include in each result row. All are included by default.

## `expandRows` (type: `boolean`):

When on, each request found gets its own row instead of being grouped under its search. You're still only charged once per search, no matter how many rows it produces.

## `maxConcurrency` (type: `integer`):

Parallel requests. Keep conservative — this target has no browser fallback, so getting blocked costs more than slow-and-steady.

## Actor input object example

```json
{
  "hashtags": [
    "journorequest",
    "prrequest"
  ],
  "topics": [],
  "testRun": false,
  "onlyFound": false,
  "includeKeywords": [],
  "excludeKeywords": [],
  "maxResults": 20,
  "sources": "both",
  "sinceDays": 7,
  "onlyNewSinceLastRun": false,
  "deltaName": "",
  "columns": [
    "searchSummary",
    "requestCount",
    "truncated",
    "incompleteSources",
    "monitorStatus",
    "requests",
    "source",
    "requestText",
    "outlet",
    "deadline",
    "deadlineTime",
    "deadlinePassed",
    "hashtags",
    "briefUrl",
    "postUrl",
    "authorHandle",
    "postedAt",
    "isNew",
    "firstSeenAt"
  ],
  "expandRows": true,
  "maxConcurrency": 1
}
```

# Actor output Schema

## `results` (type: `string`):

No description

# API

You can run this Actor programmatically using our API. Below are code examples in JavaScript, Python, and CLI, as well as the OpenAPI specification and MCP server setup.

## JavaScript example

```javascript
import { ApifyClient } from 'apify-client';

// Initialize the ApifyClient with your Apify API token
// Replace the '<YOUR_API_TOKEN>' with your token
const client = new ApifyClient({
    token: '<YOUR_API_TOKEN>',
});

// Prepare Actor input
const input = {
    "hashtags": [
        "journorequest",
        "prrequest"
    ],
    "topics": [],
    "includeKeywords": [],
    "excludeKeywords": []
};

// Run the Actor and wait for it to finish
const run = await client.actor("accountable_eel/journalist-request-monitor").call(input);

// Fetch and print Actor results from the run's dataset (if any)
console.log('Results from dataset');
console.log(`💾 Check your data here: https://console.apify.com/storage/datasets/${run.defaultDatasetId}`);
const { items } = await client.dataset(run.defaultDatasetId).listItems();
items.forEach((item) => {
    console.dir(item);
});

// 📚 Want to learn more 📖? Go to → https://docs.apify.com/api/client/js/docs

```

## Python example

```python
from apify_client import ApifyClient

# Initialize the ApifyClient with your Apify API token
# Replace '<YOUR_API_TOKEN>' with your token.
client = ApifyClient("<YOUR_API_TOKEN>")

# Prepare the Actor input
run_input = {
    "hashtags": [
        "journorequest",
        "prrequest",
    ],
    "topics": [],
    "includeKeywords": [],
    "excludeKeywords": [],
}

# Run the Actor and wait for it to finish
run = client.actor("accountable_eel/journalist-request-monitor").call(run_input=run_input)

# Fetch and print Actor results from the run's dataset (if there are any)
print(f"💾 Check your data here: https://console.apify.com/storage/datasets/{run.default_dataset_id}")
for item in client.dataset(run.default_dataset_id).iterate_items():
    print(item)

# 📚 Want to learn more 📖? Go to → https://docs.apify.com/api/client/python/docs/quick-start

```

## CLI example

```bash
echo '{
  "hashtags": [
    "journorequest",
    "prrequest"
  ],
  "topics": [],
  "includeKeywords": [],
  "excludeKeywords": []
}' |
apify call accountable_eel/journalist-request-monitor --silent --output-dataset

```

## MCP server setup

```json
{
    "mcpServers": {
        "apify": {
            "type": "http",
            "url": "https://mcp.apify.com/?tools=fetch-actor-details,accountable_eel/journalist-request-monitor"
        }
    }
}
```

The hosted server signs you in with OAuth on first connect, so no API token belongs in this config. Clients without OAuth support can send an `Authorization: Bearer <APIFY_API_TOKEN>` header instead, using a token from API & Integrations in Apify Console (https://console.apify.com/settings/integrations).

## OpenAPI specification

Download the OpenAPI definition: https://api.apify.com/v2/actors/QzP5BBQksB0bPeUIl/builds/t0sHT57ZYS0DWUCbD/openapi.json