Greater connections between media and other major corporate institutions. E.g., Television lost money on the gulf war, not only in canceled ads. Advertisers did not want to be seen as profiting from the war. Producers were careful to place ads in such a way that they were adjacent to positive, human-interest pieces about e.g., soldiers and their families. Threaten networks with boycotts, mass letter writing campaigns.
Powerful sources can underwrite the costs of gathering information.
Govt., corporate sources, underwritten think tanks, etc. Toll free numbers for reporters, etc. Normally a group like the Natural Resources Defense Council might hold a press conference, get on the news, and then the story drops. David Fenton arranged to start with 60 Minutes, then an article in Time the same day through embargo agreements. Donohue, Today, etc.