FluPortal.org

Ken Mills

Perhaps the most important thing I learned from my outreach for FluPortal.org is the value of feedback. While this may sound obvious, listening to needs of public media outlets is crucial for the success of projects like FluPortal.org.

Simply put, there is no “one size fits all” when providing tools and resources. Some aspects of FluPortal.org, such as the Quick Start menus have nearly universal appeal. But, aspects such as resources for reporters evolved over time.

There is a wide disparity of how stations perceive the role of their websites. A growing number of public radio stations consider their sites to be high-value news and information sources, often a companion to their on-air coverage. FluPortal.org provides very valuable resources for these stations.

Still, many public radio station sites and most public television sites are little more than placeholders — “cobweb sites” so to speak. Until more stations repurpose their web presence to more actively engage their viewers and listeners, projects such as FluPortal.org will be underutilized. 

My philosophy of outreach is to identify and super-serve stations with the greatest desire and capacity to provide news and information on all platforms. To do this, we expanded on our “curator” role to cross-pollinate coverage ideas among stations whenever possible.

I frequently was asked by FluPortal.org users — particularly reporters — for help in generating story ideas and developing new angles for better local coverage. Though FluPortal.org provided this information on the site blog, users wanted more assistance. It is vital for future projects like FluPortal.org to have a qualified topic expert on the team to help drive new stories and angles.

FluPortal.org is a collaborative project in the best tradition of public media. Thank you to everyone on the team, PRX, NPR, CPB and at stations. I particularly want to thank my associates who helped me learn about public television. I very much have enjoyed my work on behalf of FluPortal.org.

More details on what I learned about outreach for FluPortal.org (and possible lessons for the future) are in this section of our final report.

ECHO Minnesota, a Twin Cities based nonprofit organization that ensures people with limited English proficiency receive life-saving health and safety information, has created video, audio, print and other resources on H1N1 in multiple languages. The material is available free of charge to all public media outlets.

The PSAs and other resources are available in Amharic, Arabic, English, Hmong, Karen, Khmer (Cambodian), Laotian, Oromo, Russian, Somali, Spanish and Vietnamese.

In addition to the PSAs, ECHO Minnesota has made available a comprehensive 20-minute video program in seven languages. The video provides information about symptoms, vaccines, risk factors, care suggestions and common misperceptions.

The audio, video and written material, produced in partnership with Twin Cities Public Television and the Minnesota Department of Health (MDH), is available in website and broadcast versions. The ECHO Minnesota H1N1 page is here, and it includes tips on how to “localize” the resources for your particular audience.

Additional information is available from Executive Director Lillian McDonald at 651.789.4342 and McDonald@echominnesota.org.

[Ken Mills]

Colleagues: just a quick note to let you know that I am handling station relations for FluPortal.org. FluPortal is a service of PRX in conjunction with NPR and supported by CPB. The goal is to provide stations and other public media outlets access to tools and resources for coverage of H1N1.

My job is to make certain that public media broadcasters, journalists, producers and content managers are aware of the resources and tools available to them. Please let me know about your station’s H1N1 coverage and links, ideas and tools that we can share with other stations.

Please take a look at FluPortal.org — the site is continuously evolving and we need your feedback on which sections are most useful and anything we can do to make online tools easier to implement.

Also, check out our private Google Group, where you can discuss H1N1 coverage with us and with stations, journalists and public health professionals.

I can be reached at 763-513-9988 and via the FluPortal contact form.

Ken operates the Ken Mills Agency (KMA) based in Minneapolis. He consults program producers and stations. Before starting KMA in September 1997, Ken was Director of News at Public Radio International (PRI) and managed NPR member stations in Los Angeles, California, and Fort Collins, Colorado.