Announcing FluPortal.org, an H1N1 Resource for Public Media

Rekha posted on Tuesday, September 22nd, 2009 | Press Releases

Program directors, news directors, editors, producers, reporters, Web managers: FluPortal.org is for you. We want to help your station be a destination for information about the H1N1 flu pandemic.

Launched by PRX and CPB, FluPortal has links to reputable public information, public media coverage, and customized Web widgets. Weave these resources into your on-air reports and your Web sites. Tell us how you’re covering the flu, and give us feedback. Keep up with latest on the FluPortal blog.

Official press release below.

–The FluPortal team (aka Rekha, Josh, and Katherine)

PUBLIC MEDIA LAUNCHES FLUPORTAL.ORG, AN H1N1 RESOURCE FOR PUBLIC MEDIA COVERAGE

September 22, 2009

The Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB) and Public Radio Exchange (PRX) today announced the launch of FluPortal.org, a Web resource for public radio and television stations covering the H1N1 flu pandemic. The site will be promoted throughout the public broadcasting system.

Learn more at FluPortal.org.

PRX is partnering with NPR and coordinating with other public media sources to provide a selection of timely content, data, and resources to assist stations and community partners in presenting effective coverage and critical information to the public.

“The most important role public service media plays is being a source of trusted information,” said Pat Harrison, president and CEO of CPB. “FluPortal.org can assist stations in providing critical health information to their communities on air, online, and on the ground.”

U.S. health officials have declared the spread of H1N1 flu a public health emergency, and expect cases to rise dramatically this fall and winter. Federal, state, and local agencies are getting ready and urging the public be prepared as well. Public radio and television stations across the country can help health agencies communicate with their local communities by covering the pandemic’s many angles responsibly, thoroughly, and quickly.

“We are able to quickly assemble a remarkable range of resources from public media and beyond, applying PRX’s curatorial and technical expertise to help public media improve H1N1 preparedness and response,” said Jake Shapiro, CEO of PRX.

FluPortal.org is a central place for public media outlets to find key information and tools to support their on-air and online H1N1 flu coverage efforts. General managers, news directors, program directors, editors, producers, reporters, and Web managers can find:

Local and national reports from across the public media system
News, public information, and data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the Department of Health and Human Services, the World Health Organization, and other government and non-goverment organizations
Multimedia content, widgets, and technical how-tos for station and program Web sites
Examples of how stations and programs across the country are using the Web to communicate about H1N1 to their local audiences

The FluPortal blog highlights the latest H1N1 developments relevant to the public media system.

The FluPortal team is reaching out to a variety of public media and public health organizations to aggregate and curate exemplary coverage, news alerts, and other H1N1 information. The project is also using a suite of Web tools and applications to create custom modules that can deliver dynamic H1N1 information to local station Web sites. The goal is to support a coordinated public media approach to crisis response now and in the future.

This project is led by Public Radio Exchange in collaboration with NPR and funded by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting.

Learn more at FluPortal.org.

Contact:
Rekha Murthy
Public Radio Exchange

http://www.prx.org

617 576 5455
rekha at prx.org

Contact:
Louise Filkins
Corporation for Public Broadcasting

http://www.cpb.org

202 879 9759
lfilkins at cpb.org

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