FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE. USE THE NEWS ANNOUNCES NATIONAL SURVEY RESULTS FOR THE WHITE HOUSE’S Y2K YOUTH EDUCATION PROGRAM

(San Francisco, CA, April 14, 2000) The final results of a special project for The President’s Council on Year 2000 Conversion have been announced by Use The News President Dr. Betty L. Sullivan. The Y2K Youth Education Program was developed by Use The News, Inc. in partnership with the President’s Council, the Newspaper Association of America (NAA) and the National Newspaper Association (NNA). This Newspaper in Education (NIE) project provided timely and accurate information about Y2K to young people and their families.“The success and impact of this joint program is of enormous significance to the newspaper industry in the United States and around the world,” Dr. Sullivan said. “Never before has our national government recognized that it could mobilize an education campaign to address an issue of great public concern through Newspaper in Education programs. Use The News worked closely with White House Special Advisor John A. Koskinen and his staff to develop materials that would address the concerns of the general public and young people in particular about the Y2K conversion. We created materials to address the many issues of readiness that affected our nation’s families and their communities,” she said.The final report included results of a nationwide survey. Some background on the report and the project are as follows.
Y2K MATERIALS PROVIDED TO NIE PROGRAMSIn September 1999, newspaper publishers around the country were invited to participate in the government’s Y2K Youth Education Program. For its part in the effort, Use The News provided a CD-ROM containing a Y2K teacher resource guide, student supplement, print ads, sponsorship letters and other Y2K resources materials. The kits included background information that addressed myths and rumors about the date change, and offered useful Y2K preparedness checklists, resource lists and interactive activities. Publishers could also download materials from the Use The News Web site.EVALUATION METHODSTo evaluate the results of the effort, nearly 3,400 surveys were sent by broadcast fax to NNA and NAA publishers and NIE managers on November 29, 1999. The survey was also posted on NAA’s ListServ on December 6, 1999. An outreach campaign was conducted by phone in which over 88% of the respondents indicated that they were “very likely” or “somewhat likely” to use the materials.SUMMARY OF RESULTS· Survey Participation: The broadcast fax and ListServ posting resulted in a 3% response rate (considered within standard norms).· Program Components Utilized: 73% of newspapers that responded used the educational materials (in-paper features, student supplement and teacher guide) or promotional materials (print ads, letters to corporate sponsors, letter to teachers, Y2K Web site links and/or other material).· In-Paper Usage of Materials: Total circulation of 32.6 million was achieved through NIE newspaper programs and syndicated newspapers.· Adult Readership: 81.7 million adult readers were reached through NIE newspaper programs and syndicated newspapers.· Distribution of Y2K Youth Materials: 45% of newspapers participating in the program distributed materials to schools.· Quality/Usability of Y2K Youth Education Materials: 91% rated the materials as “excellent” (54%) or “very good” (37%).· Sponsorship Support: 54% of participating newspapers obtained sponsorship support from local companies and organizations as follows: banks (52%), local power companies and utilities (33%), food industry (12%). · Timing: Newspapers used materials in October (14%), November (40%) and December (46%) of 1999.· Geographic Usage of Materials: The materials were used in 42 states; the greatest coverage was in California. · Program Follow-Up: 90% of newspapers said follow-up by Use The News and its Y2K Youth Education Program staff was sufficient to ensure their receipt of materials and to assist them in answering questions.· Future Participation in Similar NIE Programs: 73% of respondents answered “very likely” and 27% said “somewhat likely” when asked, “How likely is your newspaper to participate in an NIE program similar to this one in the future?” Governmental recognition and appreciation has followed the success of the national NIE campaign.“The model of providing materials to schools through newspapers allows teachers to incorporate news and current events into the learning process,” said John A. Koskinen, Council Chair of The President’s Council on Year 2000 Conversion. In March 2000, Mr. Koskinen thanked Dr. Sullivan and Use The News for “your important contribution to our efforts to minimize the effects of potential problems associated with the Year 2000 date change.” He also added, “By developing and promoting the excellent Y2K Newspaper in Education program, (Use The News) played a vital role in our efforts to educate the public about the Y2K problem.”Use The News, one of the nation’s fastest-growing educational services companies, publishes of a variety of distinguished educational resources for middle and secondary school curriculums, including the most recent, “Character Matters: Using Newspapers to Teach Character ” and “Here Comes the Millennium.”Use The News products are imaginative, colorful and designed to build a long-lasting awareness of newspapers for students. Other notable publications include “Reach for the Rings: Focus on Respect” and “Reach for the Rings: The Science of the Games,” distributed by the United States Olympic Committee; “Circus Works” for Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey; “Newspapers and the ’Net,” in which students compare news coverage in their local papers with on-line reporting in the United States and around the globe; and “Welcome to the Newspaper,” which introduces students to the essential aspects of producing a newspaper and is often distributed to school groups touring newspaper facilities.Use The News Foundation was established in 1998. It serves as a nonprofit fiscal sponsor to Newspaper in Education programs nationwide and provides technical assistance on strategies, grant proposal development, identification of partners, and project verification and evaluation.To receive a complete report on the national survey for the White House’s Y2K Youth Education Program, please contact Use The News at (415) 826-3154, or e-mail BettyS@usethenews.com. Also, visit the Use The News Web site at www.usethenews.com.