Apparently they can. While browsing Google News one night, I ran across a press release written by someone using a free press release service. Hmm, I've always wanted to write a press release and so I kept a note of that site for future reference.

Well, just for fun tonight I wrote a press release. Let's see if it will be picked up by Google News.

http://pressroom.prlog.org/nica-elke/

Take a look at that and let me know what you think in the comments.