Can You All Hear Me?

As public agencies pump out information about the H1N1 virus through print media, TV, radio and e-mail, they may be overlooking an important segment of their intended audience.

Young people are increasingly rejecting traditional news outlets in favor of social networks like Facebook, Twitter, My Space and Ning, and that trend complicates the process of communicating vital information to college students.
 
"The majority of decision-makers in government and higher education are baby boomers," said Richard Dittbenner, director of public information and government relations for the San Diego Community College District (SDCCD). "They look at solutions through the lens of their generation and that is drastically different from the student lens."

Dittbenner, a lawyer who earned undergraduate and graduate degrees in political science from San Diego State University, consults with the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) on communicating crucial health information across generations. He has advised the organization to create Facebook and Twitter accounts to maximize the effectiveness of its public advisories.

Dittbenner also contributed to the CDC publication, "A Communications Guide for Colleges and Universities in the Event of a Pandemic Influenza Outbreak" and developed a pandemic communications plan for colleges and universities.

Asked about the fine line between communicating urgency and creating panic, Dittbenner observed that educational leaders around the world have little experience with managing infectious disease crises of indeterminate duration.

"Flu pandemics are not finite like earthquakes and wildfires," he said. "In this type of situation, leaders are under constant pressure to do something. The best practice is to act on verifiable information and make reasonable inferences based on what you know. No one wants to be in situation that gets worse because of inaction."