Starting in the late 1990s, the Parkinson’s Action Network began a partnership with celebrity Michael J. Fox, who suffers from Parkinson’s, to raise awareness of the disease and to generate much-needed government funding for Parkinson’s research.  In 1999, news media from around the world covered Fox’s premiere testimony before congress advocating the need for research, raising necessary awareness among the general public. But within a few years, the media’s interest in Fox’s appearances on Capitol Hill began to wane.

When Fox agreed to testify with Muhammad Ali on Capitol Hill, the Lindberg Group was able to effectively secure coverage of the hearing on C-SPAN, CNN, and in People Magazine, Roll Call, the Associated Press, and United Press International, among many other news outlets.