QUEST Beyond Local

Quest Beyond Local是由全国六家公共媒体提供商组成的联盟，以一个独特的合作结构聚集在一起，以促进普通受众普遍的STEM扫盲；支持科学方面的正式和非正式教育成果；并在境况不佳的科学和环境新闻迅速衰落的情况下重振其活力。Quest Beyond Local是建立在本地交叉编辑Quest模式的成功基础上的，在这种模式下，来自多个学科的媒体制作专业人员--广播、电视、网络，特别是教育--合作，向普通和服务不足的受众分发高质量的内容。两年前，KQED(服务于北加州)与另外五家服务于全国市场的公共媒体共同开展了能力建设工作：西雅图(KCTS)、威斯康星州(WPT/WPR)、内布拉斯加州(NET)、克利夫兰(Ideastream)和北卡罗来纳州(UNC-TV)。在这一试点过程之后，Quest Beyond Local将扩大在所有市场的生产，并将其多媒体努力集中在“可持续发展科学”这一主题上，以便在正式和非正式教育环境中实现对关键STEM成果的最大影响，并在广大受众中培养科学/环境素养。QUEST Beyond Local的定义是一种组织和技术创新的内容创作模式：根据中心辐射式模式构建的新闻编辑室；具有共同的品牌、技术和风格指南；以及与中央协调和编辑办公室联系当地制作团队。在这个中央办公室的指导下，合作伙伴寻求创建与地方当局和国家相关的内容。在现有的媒体影响研究以及之前对QUEST的研究和评估的基础上，研究公司Rockman等人将应用评估理论来确定：(1)有助于更好地理解和参与科学和环境主题的成功STEM协作的结构和战略；以及(2)确定当地和全国STEM受众的兴趣、优先事项和媒体消费习惯。主要项目交付成果包括面向普通和专业受众的三个不同的多媒体包，重点关注三个主要主题，并立足于STEM学科。这三个包总共包括：18个电视片段；6个半小时电视节目；20个电台报道；18个“网络临时演员”(幻灯片、地图等)；12个网络视频；144篇博客文章；18个教育“讲解员”；5个教育工作者培训；以及一个全面的分发和社交媒体运动。所有的努力将得到至少18个科学界合作伙伴的支持，包括动物园、博物馆、水族馆、研究中心和其他机构。通过这些努力，该合作伙伴寻求修复多年来忽视科学/环境新闻所造成的系统性损害--特别是过去十年这类报道的显著下降。这一下降可能与观察到的公众与科学知识之间的脱节有关，尽管公众表现出对科学内容的兴趣，而且据报道，教育工作者希望获得更多的资源和专注于STEM主题的专业发展机会。在不断发展的劳动力和经济越来越需要STEM技能和环境素养的时候，Quest Beyond Local将贡献资源来应对这些挑战。

QUEST Beyond Local is a consortium of six public media providers across the country coming together in a unique collaborative structure to foster widespread STEM literacy for general audiences; support formal and informal education outcomes in the sciences; and revive ailing science and environment journalism in the face of its rapid decline. QUEST Beyond Local is built on the success of the local, cross-editorial QUEST model, in which media making professionals from multiple disciplines--radio, television, web, and especially education--collaborate to distribute high-quality content to general and underserved audiences. Two years ago, KQED (serving Northern California) introduced a capacity-building effort with five other public media stations serving markets across the nation: Seattle (KCTS), Wisconsin (WPT/WPR), Nebraska (NET), Cleveland (ideastream), and North Carolina (UNC-TV). On the heels of this pilot process, QUEST Beyond Local will expand production in all markets and focus its multimedia efforts around the theme "Science of Sustainability" so as to achieve maximum effect on critical STEM outcomes in formal and informal education settings, and to foster science/environment literacy among a wide general audience.QUEST Beyond Local is defined by an organizationally and technologically innovative model of content creation: a newsroom structured according to a hub and spoke model; with common branding, technical, and style guidelines; and with a central coordinating and editorial office liaising between local production teams. Under the guidance of this central office, the collaborative seeks to create content with both local authority and national relevance. Building on existing media impact research, and previous research and evaluation of QUEST, research firm Rockman et al will apply evaluation theory to determine: (1) the structures and strategies to a successful STEM collaborative that contribute to a greater understanding of and engagement in science and environment topics; and (2) determine the interests, priorities, and media consumption habits of local and national STEM audiences.Primary project deliverables include three diverse multimedia packages for general and professional audiences, focusing on three main themes and anchored in STEM disciplines. In total, the three packages will include: 18 television segments; 6 half-hour television programs; 20 radio reports; 18 "web extras" (slide shows, maps, etc.); 12 web-based videos; 144 blog posts; 18 education "explainers"; 5 educator trainings; and a comprehensive distribution and social media campaign. All efforts will be supported by at least 18 science community partners, including zoos, museums, aquariums, research centers, and others. Through these efforts, the collaborative seeks to repair the systemic damage done by years of neglect to science/environment journalism--particularly the marked decline in this type of coverage over the last decade. This decline is perhaps related to the observed disconnect between the public and scientific knowledge, despite a demonstrated public appetite for science content and educators' reported desire for more resources and professional development opportunities focused on STEM topics. At a time when an evolving workforce and economy increasingly demand STEM skills and environmental literacy, QUEST Beyond Local will contribute resources to address these challenges.