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Multimedia journalism: Lessons shared by Billings, MT
NOTE: This document was created as an outline for a multimedia workshop we had at The Billings Gazette in July. The purpose of the workshop was to provide a basic primer of multimedia journalism for our print journalists and get them excited about trying it for themselves. I purposely spent a lot of time showing great examples of multimedia journalism to give the uninitiated an idea of what was possible and how best to use these powerful tools. Again, this is just an outline, so some of the bulletpoints are a little basic and may require some further explanation by someone knowledgeable about the topic.
I. What is multimedia journalism?
a. Multimedia journalism is simply a set of new media tools we can use to provide readers with more information in more ways than ever before. It utilizes tools like spoken and written word, video, audio, photos, animations, interactive elements, links, or a combination of several different tools.
II. Why is multimedia journalism useful?
a. Connects with reader in new ways. The intimacy of a tape recorder or the interactivity of a Flash info-graphic will bring the reader into your story. Using the tools multimedia journalism correctly should give readers the opportunity to experience the information or story you are presenting, rather than simply reading about it.
b. It adapts to the story. By choosing the best methods of multimedia journalism, you can create a complete news package to fit any story, event, or piece of information. Some stories are obvious for their interesting audio qualities, some for their visual component, etc. With multimedia journalism, you can pick and choose which elements are best suited to tell the story to give your reader the whole experience.
c. Provides a more complete story. Sometimes print is simply incapable of meeting the needs of a tremendous amount of information (i.e. www.chicagocrime.org) or the main subject of a story is difficult to put into words (i.e. an article about a song or a visual event). By using multimedia, you can give your readers all of the necessary components to get the complete picture. Even documents or links to web sites could be considered multimedia and give the reader more information about the topic. Some newspapers will package many different elements, including the articles, multimedia, discussion boards, etc. to give the reader the complete story (see “The Lifeline” below).
d. Non-linear storytelling. Many types of multimedia journalism have no specific entry point or exit. Sometimes, a story may incorporate many elements, where the reader can choose which to view first, second, not at all etc.
III. How are papers incorporating multimedia journalism into their newsrooms?
a. Newsrooms are becoming increasingly web-focused. Many papers are encouraging adding multimedia elements – of any kind – to stories. This can be as simple as a scanned document provided with the article.
b. Developing newscasts/podcasts as part of news delivery.
c. Reporters and photographers add online duties to their jobs or move completely into the online arena (www.spokemanreview.com/blogs/video).
d. After all your hard work, you want to connect your readers with these new multimedia pieces. At the Gazette, we slip small graphical boxes into the print edition that inform readers of the photo gallery, slideshow, etc. that accompanies a story and where they can view it on the web site.
e. At Lee Enterprises, the best practices document written by the online innovations team has created a list of minimum requirements (i. - viii. are basic requirements, ix. - xvii. are advanced requirements)
that newspaper sites are expected to meet based on their size.
i. Photo galleries and slideshows
ii. Interactive story comments
iii. Audio clips
iv. Related links
v. Ability for public to submit questions and comments to reporters
vi. Full-text print content for online edition
vii. Forwarding boxes (email,
print links on pages)
viii. Archives
ix. Audio-video slideshows
x. Video
xi. Animated info-graphics
xii. Audio podcasts
xiii. Video blogs
xiv. Video podcasting
xv. Mash-ups
xvi. Auto-related stories
xvii. Push technology – mobile news, PDA, phones, iPods, email, etc.
IV. Multimedia journalism being done around the country.
a. Audio slideshows
i. The Lifeline - www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/wounded/la-nawounded-series.0.936394.special
b. Audio only interviews
i. Final Salute - denver.rockymountainnews.com/news/finalSalute
c. Video/video news reports
i. Hunting accident simulation - www.caller2.com/specials/2006/gun_demo/index.html
ii. Being a Black Man - www.washingtonpost.com/wpsrv/metro/interactives/blackmen/blackmen.html
d. Info graphics
i. U.S. Open Multimedia - www.newsobserver.com/sports/golf/usopen/multimedia/?course
e. Interactive features/quizzes
i. Budget Balancer - news.minnesota.publicradio.org/projects/2005/03/budget/budget_balancer.php
f. Photo galleries
i. web.tepalm.com/photos/2006/07/08/dayinphotos/
g. First person accounts/reporter notebooks
i. Covering the standoff - www.billingsgazette.net/m/multimedia/2006/03/26/freeman.html
ii. Finding the frame - www.spokesmanreview.com/blogs/video/play.asp?file=022006.ftfstevens2_sr&filetype=swf
iii. The Century’s First Genocide - www.nytimes.com/packages/khtml/2005/06/07_DARFUR_AUDIOSS.html?adxnnl=l&adxnnl=1105145923-COjvYybEHK+wnltY(/JqkA
h. Stories with several kinds of multimedia
i. Homelessness - www.billingsgazette.com/modules/flash/20060108homeless/20060108homeless.html
ii. Day in the Life of OurSchools - www.democratandchronicle.com/homes/community/schoolsindex.shtml
i. Breaking into traditional TV/Radio coverage
i. www.naplesnews.com/studio55
ii. www.delawareonline.com/apps/pbc.dll/article?AID=/20060707021
V. What stories are appropriate for multimedia development?
a. Anytime there is an event where the reader will benefit by actually seeing or hearing it. These types of stories are sometimes obvious, sometimes not. The most important part is planning the story before you are in the field and thinking creatively. The crowd noise at a high school football game would make a nice audioslideshow, but why not put a wireless mic on the ref, or better yet in the locker rooms at halftime?
b. Complicated ideas/concepts that would benefit from more detailed explanation. Info-graphics and database-driven pieces are great for this type of thing. The web offers limitless space and fantastic ways to organize huge amounts of information.
c. Anytime we want interactivity to engage the reader in a different way. (i.e. the “Budget Balancer” or the “U.S. Open Multimedia” above.) There are a million ways to do this, it’s just a matter of creativity and technical know-how.
d. Simple format interviews with no environmental sound don’t work well. There are exceptions (i.e. the “Final Salute” above).
VI. How does the planning/development work?
a. Online must be involved in the planning from the beginning. Going back and editing an online project can be complicated once the process is underway.
b. Most pieces must be planned well ahead of time. With many projects, the online component could require more time to complete than the print component.
c. Always remember the basic tenants of journalism. Multimedia journalism stories are no different than any other story published by a news organization.
VII. Sites with information, tips, etc about multimedia journalism.
a. www.newsu.org/coollinks/learning.aspx
b. www.newsu.org
c. flashjournalism.com/examples/aejmc2005.html
d. www.bbctraining.com/onlineCourse.asp
e. mindymcadams.com/sites.htm
f. plaza.ufl.edu/mmcadams/tools.htm
g. plaza.ufl.edu/mmcadams/sizetest.htm
h. journalism.berkeley.edu/multimedia
i. www.ojr.org
j. bailiwick.lib.uiowa.edu/journalism/journalists.html
k. www.poynter.or/columns.asp?id=31
l. www.knightnewmediacenter.org/index.html
m. www.cyberjournalist.net
n. www.interactivenarratives.org
o. www.macloo.com/journalism
(Chris Cast is an online reporter/producer with The Billings Gazette. He can be reached at ccast@billingsgazette.com.)
I. What is multimedia journalism?
a. Multimedia journalism is simply a set of new media tools we can use to provide readers with more information in more ways than ever before. It utilizes tools like spoken and written word, video, audio, photos, animations, interactive elements, links, or a combination of several different tools.
II. Why is multimedia journalism useful?
a. Connects with reader in new ways. The intimacy of a tape recorder or the interactivity of a Flash info-graphic will bring the reader into your story. Using the tools multimedia journalism correctly should give readers the opportunity to experience the information or story you are presenting, rather than simply reading about it.
b. It adapts to the story. By choosing the best methods of multimedia journalism, you can create a complete news package to fit any story, event, or piece of information. Some stories are obvious for their interesting audio qualities, some for their visual component, etc. With multimedia journalism, you can pick and choose which elements are best suited to tell the story to give your reader the whole experience.
c. Provides a more complete story. Sometimes print is simply incapable of meeting the needs of a tremendous amount of information (i.e. www.chicagocrime.org) or the main subject of a story is difficult to put into words (i.e. an article about a song or a visual event). By using multimedia, you can give your readers all of the necessary components to get the complete picture. Even documents or links to web sites could be considered multimedia and give the reader more information about the topic. Some newspapers will package many different elements, including the articles, multimedia, discussion boards, etc. to give the reader the complete story (see “The Lifeline” below).
d. Non-linear storytelling. Many types of multimedia journalism have no specific entry point or exit. Sometimes, a story may incorporate many elements, where the reader can choose which to view first, second, not at all etc.
III. How are papers incorporating multimedia journalism into their newsrooms?
a. Newsrooms are becoming increasingly web-focused. Many papers are encouraging adding multimedia elements – of any kind – to stories. This can be as simple as a scanned document provided with the article.
b. Developing newscasts/podcasts as part of news delivery.
c. Reporters and photographers add online duties to their jobs or move completely into the online arena (www.spokemanreview.com/blogs/video).
d. After all your hard work, you want to connect your readers with these new multimedia pieces. At the Gazette, we slip small graphical boxes into the print edition that inform readers of the photo gallery, slideshow, etc. that accompanies a story and where they can view it on the web site.
e. At Lee Enterprises, the best practices document written by the online innovations team has created a list of minimum requirements (i. - viii. are basic requirements, ix. - xvii. are advanced requirements)
that newspaper sites are expected to meet based on their size.
i. Photo galleries and slideshows
ii. Interactive story comments
iii. Audio clips
iv. Related links
v. Ability for public to submit questions and comments to reporters
vi. Full-text print content for online edition
vii. Forwarding boxes (email,
print links on pages)
viii. Archives
ix. Audio-video slideshows
x. Video
xi. Animated info-graphics
xii. Audio podcasts
xiii. Video blogs
xiv. Video podcasting
xv. Mash-ups
xvi. Auto-related stories
xvii. Push technology – mobile news, PDA, phones, iPods, email, etc.
IV. Multimedia journalism being done around the country.
a. Audio slideshows
i. The Lifeline - www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/wounded/la-nawounded-series.0.936394.special
b. Audio only interviews
i. Final Salute - denver.rockymountainnews.com/news/finalSalute
c. Video/video news reports
i. Hunting accident simulation - www.caller2.com/specials/2006/gun_demo/index.html
ii. Being a Black Man - www.washingtonpost.com/wpsrv/metro/interactives/blackmen/blackmen.html
d. Info graphics
i. U.S. Open Multimedia - www.newsobserver.com/sports/golf/usopen/multimedia/?course
e. Interactive features/quizzes
i. Budget Balancer - news.minnesota.publicradio.org/projects/2005/03/budget/budget_balancer.php
f. Photo galleries
i. web.tepalm.com/photos/2006/07/08/dayinphotos/
g. First person accounts/reporter notebooks
i. Covering the standoff - www.billingsgazette.net/m/multimedia/2006/03/26/freeman.html
ii. Finding the frame - www.spokesmanreview.com/blogs/video/play.asp?file=022006.ftfstevens2_sr&filetype=swf
iii. The Century’s First Genocide - www.nytimes.com/packages/khtml/2005/06/07_DARFUR_AUDIOSS.html?adxnnl=l&adxnnl=1105145923-COjvYybEHK+wnltY(/JqkA
h. Stories with several kinds of multimedia
i. Homelessness - www.billingsgazette.com/modules/flash/20060108homeless/20060108homeless.html
ii. Day in the Life of OurSchools - www.democratandchronicle.com/homes/community/schoolsindex.shtml
i. Breaking into traditional TV/Radio coverage
i. www.naplesnews.com/studio55
ii. www.delawareonline.com/apps/pbc.dll/article?AID=/20060707021
V. What stories are appropriate for multimedia development?
a. Anytime there is an event where the reader will benefit by actually seeing or hearing it. These types of stories are sometimes obvious, sometimes not. The most important part is planning the story before you are in the field and thinking creatively. The crowd noise at a high school football game would make a nice audioslideshow, but why not put a wireless mic on the ref, or better yet in the locker rooms at halftime?
b. Complicated ideas/concepts that would benefit from more detailed explanation. Info-graphics and database-driven pieces are great for this type of thing. The web offers limitless space and fantastic ways to organize huge amounts of information.
c. Anytime we want interactivity to engage the reader in a different way. (i.e. the “Budget Balancer” or the “U.S. Open Multimedia” above.) There are a million ways to do this, it’s just a matter of creativity and technical know-how.
d. Simple format interviews with no environmental sound don’t work well. There are exceptions (i.e. the “Final Salute” above).
VI. How does the planning/development work?
a. Online must be involved in the planning from the beginning. Going back and editing an online project can be complicated once the process is underway.
b. Most pieces must be planned well ahead of time. With many projects, the online component could require more time to complete than the print component.
c. Always remember the basic tenants of journalism. Multimedia journalism stories are no different than any other story published by a news organization.
VII. Sites with information, tips, etc about multimedia journalism.
a. www.newsu.org/coollinks/learning.aspx
b. www.newsu.org
c. flashjournalism.com/examples/aejmc2005.html
d. www.bbctraining.com/onlineCourse.asp
e. mindymcadams.com/sites.htm
f. plaza.ufl.edu/mmcadams/tools.htm
g. plaza.ufl.edu/mmcadams/sizetest.htm
h. journalism.berkeley.edu/multimedia
i. www.ojr.org
j. bailiwick.lib.uiowa.edu/journalism/journalists.html
k. www.poynter.or/columns.asp?id=31
l. www.knightnewmediacenter.org/index.html
m. www.cyberjournalist.net
n. www.interactivenarratives.org
o. www.macloo.com/journalism
(Chris Cast is an online reporter/producer with The Billings Gazette. He can be reached at ccast@billingsgazette.com.)
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