These days the lazy journalist relies exclusively on Wikipedia for information. Of course, any journalist should know that one source, however Open, should never be enough to ensure accuracy. Nevertheless, when asked to provide information on Russia, or Greece, where one barely speaks the alphabet, it's reassuring to have someone who has been there before.

That said, you'll be amazed at the wealth of information at Geonames.org. I was. It contains exactly what you need to get you started, and as much as many an organisation that charges thousands per year. It's free, so long as you give credit to the author.

Professionally, I'm likely to use this source, and will certainly improve what I have found. It was hard to find, and the website is as unassuming as it is unimpressive. Don't be fooled. It's by no means rough: it lists my village (ahem, town). Perhaps your organisation could look to open Source, before committing to the commercial arms of CNET?