Univision partners with ASU's PIN Bureau at Cronkite for election outreach project

Arizona State University students at the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication are collaborating with Univision Arizona KTVW-TV and Univision Los Angeles KMEX-TV to broaden the television stations’ coverage for next year’s presidential elections.

Univision and students in the Cronkite School’s Public Insight Network Bureau are reaching out to the community to find individuals who want to share their views on the 2016 election. The initiative aims to uncover important issues and a diverse range of news sources, especially among Millennials.

The PIN Bureau utilizes American Public Media’s Public Insight Network, a database of more than 223,000 people who have signed up to share their knowledge and insights with journalists. Students work under the direction of PIN Bureau Chief Rebecca Blatt, a former senior editor for special projects at WAMU 88.5, to provide a variety of services to professional news organizations to make their reporting more personal and engage with diverse audiences in new ways. The PIN Bureau is funded by the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation with additional support from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting and American Public Media.

Univision has collaborated with the PIN Bureau and the Cronkite Public Relations Lab to create promotional videos and graphics, featuring Univision Arizona reporter and Cronkite alumna Liliana Soto and Univision Los Angeles reporter Stephanie Bradford. The promotion encourages community members to become part of the Public Insight Network and share their views with Univision.

“We firmly believe that the future and success of the next generation relies on their interest to make a difference in all aspects of life, not only through education and information but also promoting civic engagement and participation in our political system,” said Marco Flores, vice president of News for Los Angeles and Regional News director West Coast.

Between January and October 2016, the PIN Bureau will launch monthly queries to those who joined the network about various election topics. The bureau will monitor responses and share with Univision reporting staff unique and exclusive content for multi-part segments on the 2016 election coverage.

As part of the initiative, PIN Bureau students also will attend Univision events and other community gatherings to sign up new sources and answer questions.

Following the 2016 November elections, the PIN Bureau will ask sources their thoughts on the election results, which will help Univision with future news coverage.

“This partnership is a tremendous learning opportunity for our outstanding students to partner with Univision while providing a real public service by uncovering important community issues and giving voice to people often left out of the election conversation,” said Cronkite School Dean Christopher Callahan.