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Dialog Bolsters Dialog Company Profiles Service With Improved Interface And New Authoritative Sources

Service Provides Quick Access to Analysis, Data & News on Businesses Worldwide

CARY, NC, USA (August 26, 2003) — Dialog, a Thomson (TSX: TOC; NYSE: TOC) business and a leading worldwide provider of online-based information services and integrated information solutions, today said that it has bolstered its popular Dialog Company Profiles service with an improved search interface, more robust navigation features and an expanded roster of authoritative reference sources.

Dialog Company Profiles are customized reports offering current analysis, data and news on nearly 500,000 publicly traded and privately owned companies worldwide. They are available for access through a stand-alone, Web-based service available for flat-fee subscriptions.

Each profile integrates information extracted from multiple sources, packaging the material into an easy-to-read, comprehensive online report that includes a company synopsis, history, corporate parent and sibling relationships, executive listings, a roster of products and brands, performance ratings, industry and peer rankings, contact details, Web site addresses, and other information. Links to recent news stories are also included in most profiles.

“Since we launched the Dialog Company Profiles service in 2001, it has proven to be a powerful information tool for decision-makers throughout corporate enterprises. The profiles are a quick way to become knowledgeable about a targeted company, whether it be a competitor, business prospect or potential alliance partner,” said Cynthia Murphy, Dialog senior vice president of strategic marketing. “Now we’ve added more muscle to the service by making it easier to use and by adding sources from which the reports are drawn.”

Added Murphy: “Dialog Company Profiles are designed for business professionals and managers. The value of the service is not just in the information provided, but also in the ease of harnessing the intelligence. With our improvements to the service, Dialog Company Profiles now offer even more to businesses we serve around the world.”

Specific recent enhancements made to the Dialog Company Profiles service include:

• Improved Search Interface Features and Forms. Four new search forms help users find the companies they need to research:
  • Company Search, with options to search by product and/or brand
  • Industry Search, enabling users to pinpoint companies within specified industry categories or by using SIC or NAICS codes
  • Article Search, which allows searching of a database of business articles with a subject guide, keyword and fulltext search
  • Advanced Search, which gives users the ability to search by multiple, indexed fields.

• More Robust Navigation. Enhanced functionality gives users new convenience and immediacy to navigate to related materials and follow displayed links. For example, a new sidebar displayed on a company profile offers links to “Articles About This Company.” These topical links include journal articles organized by such topics as a company’s finances, legal issues, operations and technology, products and services, sales and marketing, statistics, and strategy and planning.

• Expanded Reference Content. The roster of those content sources from which information is drawn has been expanded and now includes Encyclopedia of American Industries, Encyclopedia of Emerging Industries, Encyclopedia of Global Industries, Market Share Reporter, and World Market Share Reporter, along with a larger pool of newspaper business sections from around the world.

The new content available through Dialog Company Profiles is supplied by Gale, also a Thomson business and the world’s largest reference and research publisher for libraries and the educational market.

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About Dialog and The Thomson Corporation
Dialog, a pioneer in developing the technology behind electronic information retrieval, is the world leader in providing online-based information services to organizations seeking competitive advantages in such fields as business, science, engineering, finance and law.

Today, the online services provided by Dialog — offered through the Dialog®, Dialog Profound®, Dialog DataStar™, NewsEdge and Intelligence Data brands — give users the ability to precisely retrieve data from more than 1.4 billion unique records, accessible via the Internet or through delivery to enterprise intranets. Searchable content includes articles and reports from thousands of real-time news feeds, newspapers, broadcast transcripts and trade publications, plus research reports and analyst notes providing support for financial decision-making, as well as in-depth repositories of scientific and technical data, patents, trademarks and other intellectual property data. Information professionals and end-users at business, professional and government organizations in more than 100 countries prize Dialog services for their depth and breadth of content, precision searching and speed.

Based in Cary, N.C., USA, Dialog has operations in 31 other countries. Dialog (www.dialog.com) is a business of The Thomson Corporation (TSX: TOC; NYSE: TOC). With 2002 revenues of US$7.8 billion, Thomson (www.thomson.com) is a global leader in providing integrated information solutions to business and professional customers.

All designated trademarks used herein are the property of The Dialog Corporation or its subsidiaries. Registered marks are registered by The Dialog Corporation or its subsidiaries with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. All other marks are trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective owners.

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