Jay,
Trust is easy to say but difficult to earn.
For some brands with strong personal relationships, I have been involved at the "blue sky brainstorming" stage before pen has hit paper or nowadays mouse hitting mouse pad.
For more exciting news, I've seen prototypes 2 or 3 years before production.
For very exciting news, I've seen previews 3 months before launch.
For outstanding news, I've only found out with the rest of the press corp.
For some brands, I don't even know after the launch!
Regards,
MTF