Google News Journalist & Media Lead Finder

Turn Google News topics into article-backed journalist and publication leads, with headlines, outlets, author metadata and any public email addresses found on inspected publisher pages. This journalist email finder supplies contact evidence URLs, not guessed addresses or a guaranteed journalist database. Many articles have no public contact details.

Quick start

1. Open the Actor input and enter one or more news topics.
2. Start with a small article limit and leave public-page inspection enabled.
3. Run the Actor, then review the dataset and download JSON, CSV or Excel.

{
  "queries": ["climate technology funding"],
  "maxArticlesPerQuery": 5,
  "freshnessDays": 7,
  "country": "US",
  "language": "en",
  "enrichPublisherPages": true,
  "maxExtraPagesPerArticle": 1,
  "includeNoContact": true
}

Prefer a video guide? This short Apify walkthrough shows you how to set up and run an Actor. It uses a different Actor, but the setup steps are the same.

What you get

Article-backed lead rows with headlines, publication details and source links, plus any author metadata, public email addresses and social links found during optional page inspection. Contact evidence URLs show where addresses appeared. Rows can lack contact details, and available publication contacts are not automatically attributable to a named journalist.

Who is it for?

• PR researchers building a topic-specific coverage list before reviewing outreach options.
• Communications teams checking which publications and named authors cover a company or policy theme.
• Media analysts retaining article and publication evidence alongside public contact signals.
• Research-data teams comparing their own later exports without expecting a built-in CRM or historical archive.

How you can use the data

• Prepare a climate-funding coverage sheet. Use the existing climate technology funding query, five-article cap and seven-day window. Export headline, outletName, publishedAt, articleUrl and available author fields to review the actual coverage before selecting a contact.
• Check the provenance of a public email. Keep publicEmails, primaryEmail, contactSourceUrls and contactConfidence together. Inspect the evidence page before attributing a newsroom address to a journalist, and do not treat the evidence-location label as a deliverability score.
• Choose the research depth deliberately. Use zero extra pages for article-page-only contact research, or disable publisher inspection and keep no-contact leads for news metadata. Turning inspection off leaves contact fields empty while article-link lookup is still attempted.
• Review a filtered contact list or your own repeat exports. Email-only mode keeps rows with public emails and can validly return no rows. To compare later exports yourself, retain articleUrl and googleNewsUrl, allowing for article-link fallback rather than assuming cross-run deduplication or a maintained CRM.

Input settings

Setting	JSON key	Purpose
Google News topics	queries	Required: 1–20 non-empty searches. Duplicate topics are combined.
Maximum articles per query	maxArticlesPerQuery	1–25. Default 10. Actual saved rows can be fewer.
Freshness window	freshnessDays	1–365 days. Default 7. Query date operators override this window.
Country	country	Two-letter market code. Default US.
Language	language	Language code. Default en.
Inspect publisher pages	enrichPublisherPages	Default true. Collect available author and contact evidence.
Extra author/contact pages	maxExtraPagesPerArticle	0–2. Default 1. Applies when page inspection is enabled.
Keep no-email leads	includeNoContact	Default true. Set false for email-only results.
Run time limit	runTimeSecs	30–270 seconds. Default 240. Large requests may finish with partial coverage.
Google proxy configuration	proxyConfiguration	Optional article-lookup settings. See field help for behavior and limitations.

News results retain the feed's order. There is no custom sorting option. Publisher inspection is best effort and can yield outlet-level contact evidence rather than an article-specific author. Turning inspection off leaves contact fields empty but still attempts article URL lookup.

Input recipes

• Focused media list: use one narrow topic and maxArticlesPerQuery: 5 to inspect a small sample.
• Article-only contact research: set maxExtraPagesPerArticle: 0 to omit additional author/contact pages.
• Email-only export: set includeNoContact: false. A completed search without public emails succeeds with an empty dataset.
• News metadata only: set enrichPublisherPages: false and keep includeNoContact: true.

These are input recipes, not public saved-task links.

Example inputs

Use the Quick start input as a small first run. Adjust the fields described above for your own data.

Output data

Each saved item represents one news article lead. This illustrative shape-only example is not an observed article or contact:

{
  "query": "climate technology funding",
  "headline": "Illustrative funding headline",
  "googleNewsUrl": "https://news.google.com/rss/articles/EXAMPLE",
  "articleUrl": "https://example.com/news/funding",
  "outletName": "Example publication",
  "outletUrl": "https://example.com/",
  "publicationDomain": "example.com",
  "journalistName": null,
  "authorProfileUrl": null,
  "publishedAt": "2026-10-20T10:00:00.000Z",
  "snippet": "Illustrative news summary.",
  "publicEmails": [],
  "primaryEmail": null,
  "socialLinks": [],
  "contactSourceUrls": [],
  "contactConfidence": "none",
  "status": "no_public_contact",
  "error": null,
  "collectedAt": "2026-10-20T12:00:00.000Z"
}

Fields	Meaning
query, headline, snippet	Search topic and Google News text.
googleNewsUrl, articleUrl	Original news link and best available article link. articleUrl falls back to the news link.
outletName, outletUrl, publicationDomain	Publication identity. Values can be unavailable.
publishedAt, collectedAt	Publication date when supplied, and UTC collection timestamp.
journalistName, authorProfileUrl	Public author metadata when found. Otherwise null.
publicEmails, primaryEmail	Unique public emails and the first found email. An empty list and null when absent.
socialLinks, contactSourceUrls	Social URLs found on inspected pages, and pages supplying email evidence. Social links may belong to the publication.
contactConfidence	Evidence location: article_page, author_or_contact_page or none. Not a deliverability score.
status	found if an email was found, otherwise no_public_contact.
error	Currently null. Optional enrichment diagnostics are in RUN_SUMMARY.

no_public_contact does not prove a page was accessible or that a publisher has no contact details. Optional lookup/page failures retain the news lead with that status and any available fields. They do not produce article_unavailable rows.

The RUN_SUMMARY key-value-store record reports requested/searched queries, articles found, saved rows, contacts found, no-contact counts, unavailable enrichment attempts and bounded errors. Its status can be SUCCEEDED, PARTIAL, EMPTY or FAILED. These summary labels are separate from the platform run status: useful partial records are preserved, while essential query/storage failures with no saved rows can still fail the run.

Download your results

Open your run's dataset, choose Export and select JSON, CSV or Excel. JSON keeps nested fields together. CSV and Excel are useful when you want to review the records in a spreadsheet.

See Apify's download and export guide for the available formats and field options.

Pricing

Pay-per-event pricing uses one start event when processing begins and one result event for each saved dataset row. Saved no_public_contact rows count as results, including rows retained after optional enrichment was unavailable. An empty successful search has no saved-result events but can still incur the start event.

Keep topics, article caps and extra-page limits small while reviewing an export. See the live Pricing tab for current rates.

Tips for best results

• Start with one narrow topic and a small article cap. Review a representative export before widening the research.
• Open the contact evidence before planning outreach. Author names, newsroom addresses and social links may refer to different parts of a publication.
• Use email-only mode only when filtered output is intended. A completed search can return no rows after no-email leads are removed.
• Choose extra-page inspection for your actual research need. Zero omits additional author/contact pages rather than disabling article-page inspection.
• Check query date operators before relying on the freshness window. Explicit date conditions override that window.

Limits and caveats

This is a topic-specific public-news research export rather than a complete journalist database or exhaustive news archive. Limits are ceilings: feed availability, filtering and the shared run deadline can leave fewer rows or partial coverage. Results retain feed order, with no custom sorting or automatic cross-run article removal.

Login requirements, paywalls, consent pages, blocked requests or JavaScript-only contact details can prevent publisher inspection. Missing data does not establish that a page is private or deleted. No private addresses are inferred, paywalls bypassed or email deliverability verified. A public newsroom address or publication social link is not proof of a personal journalist contact.

Article-link lookup and publisher inspection are best effort. Article URLs can fall back to Google News links. Optional failures can retain a news lead as no_public_contact with available fields, rather than an article_unavailable row. That status does not prove a page was accessible or a publisher lacks contacts.

RUN_SUMMARY reports saved and contact counts, bounded errors and unavailable enrichment attempts. Its SUCCEEDED, PARTIAL, EMPTY and FAILED labels are separate from platform run status. Useful partial records are preserved, while essential query or storage failures with no saved rows can still fail the run. Explicit query date operators override the freshness setting, and no historical completeness is guaranteed.

Automation and integrations

Save your settings for next time

Once you have an input that works for you, save it as an Apify task. This keeps your settings together so you can use them again without filling in the form from scratch.

Run on a schedule

Need fresh results regularly? You can schedule the Actor or a saved task to run at a time that suits you.

Each scheduled run collects the data again. If you want to compare results or highlight changes, add that step in your own workflow.

Send results to your other tools

Use n8n, Make or Zapier to connect this scraper to the rest of your workflow. For example, you could pass its results to an AI assistant or add records to a spreadsheet. Follow the Apify integration guides for your chosen tool.

For a custom connection, an Apify webhook can notify your app when a run finishes or fails. Your app can then fetch the results or handle the failure.

API usage

Want to collect this data from your own app or automation? The examples below send input to the scraper and show how to collect its results.

The Node.js and Python examples wait for the run to finish before reading its results. The cURL example starts the run and returns its details. Wait for that run to finish, then use its defaultDatasetId to fetch the results.

For setup instructions, see Apify's JavaScript client guide, Python client guide and Actor runs API reference.

cURL

curl -X POST 'https://api.apify.com/v2/acts/fetch_cat~google-news-journalist-lead-finder/runs' \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $APIFY_TOKEN" \
  -H 'Content-Type: application/json' \
  --data @- <<'JSON'
{
  "queries": [
    "climate technology funding"
  ],
  "maxArticlesPerQuery": 5,
  "freshnessDays": 7,
  "country": "US",
  "language": "en",
  "enrichPublisherPages": true,
  "maxExtraPagesPerArticle": 1,
  "includeNoContact": true
}
JSON

Node.js

import { ApifyClient } from 'apify-client';

const client = new ApifyClient({ token: process.env.APIFY_TOKEN });
const run = await client.actor('fetch_cat/google-news-journalist-lead-finder').call({
  "queries": [
    "climate technology funding"
  ],
  "maxArticlesPerQuery": 5,
  "freshnessDays": 7,
  "country": "US",
  "language": "en",
  "enrichPublisherPages": true,
  "maxExtraPagesPerArticle": 1,
  "includeNoContact": true
});
const { items } = await client.dataset(run.defaultDatasetId).listItems();
console.log(items);

Python

import os
from apify_client import ApifyClient

client = ApifyClient(os.environ['APIFY_TOKEN'])
run = client.actor('fetch_cat/google-news-journalist-lead-finder').call(run_input={'queries': ['climate technology funding'], 'maxArticlesPerQuery': 5, 'freshnessDays': 7, 'country': 'US', 'language': 'en', 'enrichPublisherPages': True, 'maxExtraPagesPerArticle': 1, 'includeNoContact': True})
print(client.dataset(run['defaultDatasetId']).list_items().items)

MCP and AI agents

You can ask your AI assistant to collect data with Google News Journalist & Media Lead Finder and help you work with the results. The scraper returns the data, and your assistant can then summarize it, compare records or prepare notes.

Connect your assistant through the Apify MCP server. MCP gives your assistant a way to find this scraper, run it and read the results. Follow the official setup and sign-in guide for your app.

Easier setup with an Apify plugin

If you use a supported coding assistant, the official Apify plugin can set up the connection for you. It connects your assistant to Apify and includes instructions for common tasks. Follow the guide for your particular app.

Use Apify AI in Console

Prefer to keep everything in Apify? Open Apify AI in Console and ask it to find Fetch Cat's Google News Journalist & Media Lead Finder. You can describe the data you want and ask questions about the results.

Apify AI is currently in beta. It asks for confirmation before starting an Actor, and normal run charges apply.

Choose your assistant

• Claude and Claude Code (Anthropic): Apify setup guide.
• ChatGPT and Codex (OpenAI): Apify setup guides.
• Grok Bot (xAI): Apify plugin guide.
• Gemini CLI (Google): MCP server setup guide. Use the server URL below with the HTTP configuration supported by Gemini CLI.

Connect just this scraper

To keep your setup focused on this scraper, add this server configuration to a compatible MCP client:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "apify": {
      "url": "https://mcp.apify.com?tools=fetch_cat/google-news-journalist-lead-finder"
    }
  }
}

Sign in to Apify when your client asks. If your client uses a Bearer token instead, follow its setup guide and keep the token in its secure configuration. Configuration formats vary by app, so use the linked guide if your client needs a different format.

Use Apify's general server

Already connected to the general Apify MCP server at https://mcp.apify.com? You can use it to find this scraper without adding another server. Ask your assistant to use Google News Journalist & Media Lead Finder by Fetch Cat, or give it the identifier fetch_cat/google-news-journalist-lead-finder.

Your assistant can check the available settings and retrieve the results from the returned run. If the run is still working, it should follow that run rather than start it again. Both connection options use Apify's hosted service.

Example requests

• “Use Fetch Cat’s Google News Journalist & Media Lead Finder to collect up to 5 article leads for climate technology funding from the last 7 days in the US, in English. Inspect publisher pages and at most one extra page per article, keeping no-contact rows and source evidence.”
• “Collect up to 3 climate technology funding article leads from the last 7 days in the US, inspecting publisher pages but no extra author or contact pages. Keep only leads with public emails, and show the evidence URLs without claiming deliverability or personal ownership.”
• “Retrieve up to 5 US article leads for climate technology funding from the last 7 days with publisher inspection off and no-contact leads retained. Show headlines, publications and best available article links for a news research sheet, marking any Google News fallback links.”

Normal Apify charges apply. Check the live Pricing tab before asking your assistant to run a larger batch.

Pay with x402

If your AI agent has a funded wallet, it can pay for Apify usage through x402. This experimental option lets an agent use Apify without a conventional account.

Apify AGI provides a prepaid API token with a spending cap after payment. Your agent can use that token to run this scraper through the Apify API or an authenticated MCP connection.

Some MCP setups also support paying for each request directly. That is a different payment option, so check the official guide for its availability.

Follow the official guide for wallet setup, supported payment options and current terms. Apify handles the payments. Keep wallet keys and payment tokens in your agent's secure configuration.

Other ways for agents to pay

Apify also supports MPP for prepaid access through AGI and Skyfire for eligible Actors. If your agent already uses one of these, see the agentic payment guide to choose the right setup.

FAQ

Can I find journalist contacts without a known name?

Yes. Start with news topics and inspect the resulting article, publication and author evidence. An email or named author is not guaranteed.

Is this a ready-made journalist database?

No. It builds a topic-specific article-backed export from current news and public publisher pages. It does not supply a complete precompiled media database.

Why is an article link still a Google News link?

Publisher URL resolution is best effort. If it is unavailable, articleUrl retains the original news link rather than becoming an unusable empty value.

Why does an email-only search return no rows?

With includeNoContact: false, leads without an email are filtered out. A completed search can succeed with an empty dataset. Review RUN_SUMMARY for coverage and optional-enrichment limitations.

Can I use this instead of a Google News API?

Use it for bounded news-to-contact research with the documented fields, not as an official Google API or an exhaustive news archive. Export via dataset downloads or the API examples above.

Related Actors

• Google News Scraper — broader news collection.
• Website Contact Finder — public contacts from known websites.
• Google Scholar Profiles Scraper — academic author research.
• Google Autocomplete Scraper — query suggestion research.
• Google Play Store App Search Scraper — collect public app search results for technology-market research.

Support and feedback

For custom additions or integrations, email hello@fetchcat.dev.

Found an error or have a feature request? Open an issue with the run URL, a non-sensitive input example and what you expected.

Need help sharing it? See Apify’s guide to sharing a run when reporting an issue. Sharing a run can give the developer access to its input, logs and results, so use a run that contains no sensitive data. Please leave out API tokens, passwords, cookies, private documents and personal data. Use a public sample URL or a redacted example instead.

Tried this scraper? We'd love to hear how it worked for you. Leave a review to help others choose the right tool and help us improve it. Your feedback means a lot to us.

Made with care for curious people, AI agents and the possibilities in data. ♥