Online offers new opportunities, challenges for investigative reporting
April 16, 2009
(David Stoeffler)
OK, so stories about the First Family's new dog, Bo, probably drew more Web traffic on Easter weekend than an
Associated Press investigation into the detention of U.S. citizens who have been mistaken for being illegal immigrants, or a
Los Angeles Times look at how investors are benefiting from a federal program aimed at helping poor families buy homes. Does that mean the future is dim for online readership of investigative journalism or that in-depth or explanatory reporting is not valued by digital users? In a recent Presstime
article, Charlotte Hall argues that one of the strengths of the print newspaper is its ability to help readers step back and assess bigger-picture issues.
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What it takes to tell a great story online
March 23, 2009
(Rich Gordon) Though journalists have been creating content for the World Wide Web for almost 15 years now, there's still much we don't know about what makes for effective storytelling on the Web. To be sure, there's no shortage of Web stories. But it's still rare to see Web storytelling that takes full advantage of the unique capabilities of this medium. Here's one storytelling example that hits the mark:
Our First Loves, a new Web site launched by an experimental undergraduate class (Advanced Interactive Design) at the Medill School, where I teach. The site features (as I write this) 89 first-person stories about "first loves," broadly defined - love for another person, for books, a dog, a family member, even Chewbacca from the "Star Wars" movies.
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No secret to readership: Give them something to talk about
March 3, 2009
(David Stoeffler) What do octuplets' mother Nadya Suleman, the
"25 Random Things" lists on Facebook and the weather have in common? They are all something to talk about. In my consulting work and speaking engagements, I'm frequently asked to reveal the secrets to building readership in print and online. If only it was a secret, my consulting business would be much more lucrative. As detailed in the Readership Institute's
2003 Experience Study, "something to talk about" is a powerful motivator that can drive readership. Across all demographics, researchers found similar responses - people want a source of information that gives them something to talk about with other people.
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Is design a luxury we can no longer afford?
February 18, 2009
(Mary Nesbitt) If you read this you might have to kill yourself, as it's related to the
World's Best-Designed Newspapers competition at which I judged this week. It was impressed on us that proceedings are confidential. So I'll try not to break the rules. Not being a designer by profession or study, I'm not clear how I got to judge in the Society for News Design contest, but I hope it's because I try to see things from the perspective of the consumers, rather than the creators, of design. While appreciative - indeed, envious - of technique and artistry, my perspective is more about whether design is working for readers, based on what Readership Institute and other studies tell us about how and why people read newspapers.
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