Online Storytelling: Seeking new forms, presentation
By: Paul Eisenberg
Online journalism is the new rave in the media. The problem? Reporters have yet to determine what form online journalism should take. The medium has the ability to go way beyond traditional media and can combine the elements of print, video, audio, and interactive journalism. However, traditional values should not be forgotten when writing for the web.
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Marshal McLuhan said in 1964 that "the 'content' of any medium is always another medium." Online journalism is likely to remain largely text-based. However, online journalists should not use old storytelling techiques, as they are not effective for the Internet. The web has the ability to open a whole new world to its audience, allowing them to not just read, but also see, hear, and interact with stories. |
"Navigation is the single most important element for the future success of storytelling," according to Mary Norman Jacobson, managing editor of FACSNET. If a reader cannot quickly find their way through the story, then you've simply wasted your time.
Consider your audience. Writing cannot no longer be linear because your audience has the ability to bounce around. The ability to jump to different places in a story kills narration.
"Editors and writers need to think of their stories as three-dimenstional," said Chris Fruitrich, deputy editor of USATODAY.com. Readers don't read left to right or up to down, they go where they want when they want. Allow readers to make their own choices.
Remember that while online journalism is opening a new world, the old techniques should not be forgotten. In fact, journalists now need to pull their audience in even faster, giving the who, what, where, when, how, and critical supporting material right away.
Journalists should never forget the basics. Accuracy, balance, fairness, and good storytelling are still vital. Writers should still check, double-check, and check again. However, online journalists should also learn new techniques, such as digital technology, video, audio, and web design.
Online journalists have provided the following storytelling tips for budding journalists:
1. Get to the point: readers seek instant gratification. Don't make them scroll.
2. Move beyond wire content: add infographics, interactive features, streaming video, etc.
3. Don't play games with dates: use dates and keep the format consistent.
4. Use first-person narrative judiciously: avoid "I" but still relate with your reader
5. Assume your reader has the same time pressures that you do: make downloading easy. Ddon't make readers download plug-ins
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