Multimedia Journalism

Chapter 17

JOURN 305

Online Journalism

One of the biggest growth opportunities is online journalism

Web Editors often make more money than their print editor counterparts

Web Journalism

What works online?– Breaking news– Links to credible sources– Instant archives– Interactivity– Multimedia

Differences

Stories may be read and/or presented in a non-linear fashion

Online readers may have some control of the content

Unlimited space to tell the story Multimedia components to supplement the

story text Can be updated instantly with latest

developing details

Reading Habits

Reading online is typically 25% slower than print

Some “tricks” to keep a reader interested:– Layout with bullet points and bold subheads– Break longer stories into “chunks”– Include multimedia elements

Polls Slideshows Audio/Video

Journalists Moving Online

Some established journalists are moving online to have more control over their reporting

– Example: CNN’s Daryn Kagan Walter Cronkite blog

Story Shells

In online reporting, you can use a story shell structure that contains all the various related elements of the reporting– Links to related sites/resources– Interactive timelines– Text of your reporting– Slideshow of images

Example

“Toxic Treats” in the Orange County Register

Example

“Jim West: A Spokesman-Review Investigative Report” in the Spokesman-Review

Beat Shells

Many online news sites have special sections that specialize in a particular type of reporting

These beat shells are destination sites for updated developments on a topic

Examples

Traffic section of the Seattle Post-Intelligencer

Iraq War coverage in the Washington Post

– Also known as an “Issue Shell”

Breaking News

Once a story is “published” online, it is not necessarily done

It isn’t unusual to add “updates” and information as more info comes in– You should disclose the change– Example:

“Story updated at 12:14 p.m. EST”

Involving Readers

Include information and databases that readers can use to explore beyond your published story

Examples:– Find a local doctor– Compare different schools– Look up crime statistics

User Comments

Many sites are now including opportunities for the public to comment on a story– These comments are often on the same page as

the original story– Examples:

Wired.com The Record

Story Structure

Inverted Pyramid– Still appropriate for online hard news stories

Screen-size “chunks”– Break up a longer story into “chunk” sections so

that it is easier to read– This can be read in a non-linear fashion

Example of “Chunk” Storytelling

“Remembering Pearl Harbor” in National Geographic

Linking

There are differing philosophies on whether to include links in your story– It helps readers navigate to more resources

related to your reporting– It also draws people away from your site (and

your ad revenue)

Linking

Use only quality links Don’t overdo it Be aware of the integrity of the site that you

are linking to– Does it contain spyware or NSFW content?– Does it contain illegal content?

Teasing Your Story

Usually the front page of the site will only contain a brief “tease” to the full story– This “tease” is usually the first few lines or

paragraph of the actual story– Another option is to compose a new summary of

the story that is different than the lead

Slide Shows

A different way to tell the story

– Two examples from The Record

– Johnny Cash memorial– Gastric bypass surgery

Cutline Captions

Cutlines are the captions under a photo

Used to let readers know what the story is about and why the photo is significant

Should include:– Who is in the photo– What the people are doing– When, where and why the

photo was taken– How the photo was taken

(optional)

Gene Beley, left, strides behind Johnny Cash as they cross the yard at Folsom Prison.

Interactive Graphics

Many sites are using interactive graphics to tell a key part of the story

See several award-winning examples at the Society for News Design Web site

Interactive Graphics

Text is minimal Animation and graphics tell the story

– Example: “Hip Hop Voices” in the Sun-Sentinel

Be careful in how you integrate navigation instructions– Example: “Remembering D-Day” in the Sun-

Sentinel

Storytelling on the Web

Find a fresh idea Focus your topic Plan and research Sketch a storyboard Report, edit and revise Test and troubleshoot

Examples

“Touching Hearts” in the Herald Sun Interactivenarratives.org

Backpack Journalism

Online journalists need to know how to write, shoot and record– They also have technology skills for

posting/uploading stories online

“Backpack Journalism” = All the tools for reporting fit in your backpack– Self-contained reporter from story creation to

distribution