The power of multimedia storytelling

I narrated my exploration through several good examples of multimedia storytelling. I could tell you about my multimedia experience, but I wanted to show you. Enjoy.

*Transcript of narration*

So today we’re going to look at the use of multimedia tools to tell stories. And what better way to conduct this exploration than through a multimedia presentation.  

This story on U.C. Berkeley Graduate School of Journalism’s website called “The Transition to digital journalism,” details the benefits of multimedia storytelling. It explains that the enjoyment of good narrative is hardwired into the human brain, and digital technologies offer a range of possibilities. 

The article says, “Rather than undermining the traditional narrative, the Internet is an opportunity to experiment with multi-dimensional storytelling and new narrative approaches that provide context and depth and also are more compelling and engaging.”

The key to any type of storytelling these days, is knowing which medium to pick to tell different parts of the story.

Let’s check out this example provided by the Berkeley article:http://www.boston.com/news/specials/kennedy/

It has the look of a well designed book, but the images are more than just still frames, this one is a two-minute-long video giving us a sneak peak into Ted Kennedy’s early life and it goes nicely with the descriptive intro.

At the bottom we see other parts of Chapter 1, like the historic pages of the Boston Globe. I have opened the one of Kathleen Kennedy’s death, and JFK getting elected. 

Each chapter has an intro video, along with a text intro and then each section of the chapter has other multimedia elements, like slideshows, video archives as well as more text.

Overall I like it. Lots of great info, great visual elements, good narrative. The only criticism I would have is that the sections within the chapters could flow more fluidly. They may have been going for that effect, so that rather than scrolling from page to page, the viewer can explore, kind of like how I went straight to the newsprint archive. 

That’s the beauty of multimedia, I suppose, that we’re no longer restricted to linear storytelling. We can weave in and out, following basic categorizations and looking at what peaks our interest most at any given moment. 

I actually prefer multimedia stories that take me on a journey I can follow without too many sidetracks that take me in different directions. 

One of my favorite multimedia stories is “The Ballad of Geeshie and Elvie” which follows two jazz singers who left little trace but some profound tracks. 

Check out the intro. 

You get the feeling that you are hearing and seeing things that only a few privileged get to encounter. Beautiful use of audio with graphic elements to accompany it.

Then you are treated to a beautiful narrative carefully unraveling the mystery behind these two women and the other characters surrounding them. You are uncovering the mystery along with the writers, each image, each interview and audio file.

The next multimedia element is audio of a researcher explaining his work and the visual is artistic with jazz music in the background.If you notice, with this story, each element stands alone so you focus on that before moving to the next thing. The text is clean with few distractions on the side, when you are listening to audio or video you must stay on that section to watch it. You can click on the in-text audio files and they will play as you read if you choose.You also get the feeling that you’re seeing the whole picture. Since it is about how little everyone knows about these artists, each photo, tidbit, feels precious.

The thing that I love about this story, other than the music, is the fact that it tells the story perfectly. You can’t just look at the videos and know the story, you have to read the text. But the text wouldn’t be enough either, you need the music, the interviews and photographs as well. I can’t imagine the story told any other way — I think that’s the key factor in recognizing any great multimedia story.

But not all multimedia stories need to be so dynamic. This one appears in the magazine, it reads like a magazine story, plus some really great multimedia elements.

In a basic news story, multimedia can help direct people to the information they need and want in the way they most prefer it at the moment.

Take for instance, this story, also in the New York Times, about the unrest in Ferguson. 

It contains short video clips, slideshows, a live update box, featured comments, a link to a timeline, more video, and a link to a graphic Q and A.

There aren’t too many or too little graphic elements, each adds its own value. Some can be seen on the same page and others we can choose to explore if we’re looking for more details. It’s perfect for a constantly breaking news story. We can read the general story, see footage, photos, a timeline so we can see how the situation has unfolded, and look at a map and other graphics so we can see the situation in different contexts. 

The conclusion is multimedia can be great, we are seeing it more and more and when done right it can take us on an informative and alluring journey into the unknown and unexplored. 

Dynamic coverage of war in Gaza

For a long time journalists feared the implications of new media. The profession is too important to let fall to the whims of inexperienced bloggers and citizen journalists with little or no regard for standards, after all. But bloggers and citizen journalists offer a perspective and innovation that has been absent from traditional media. Some media critics have pushed for greater collaboration (Barnes, 2012) so the public can benefit both from the insider perspectives of citizen journalists and the standards of traditional journalists. And I must admit, considering my own apprehensions as an old school journalist, when it happens in just the right way, it works and it works well.

Global Voices, for instance, is a cooperative of more than 800 writers, analysts and online media experts who report on the news from a unique perspective, taking advantage of new media and citizen journalists while adhering to ethical standards common in traditional journalism.

“Global Voices has been leading the conversation on citizen media reporting since 2005. We curate, verify and translate trending news and stories you might be missing on the Internet, from blogs, independent press and social media in 167 countries,” states their about me section. 

Screenshot of Global Voices’ about me section.

In their Editorial Code, they vow to be accurate, identify sources whenever possible, admit mistakes and correct them, never plagiarize, avoid stereotyping, encourage meaningful conversation, avoid conflicts of interest and minimize harm. The code was inspired by the Society of Professional Journalists Code of Ethics. 

Screenshot of Global Voices’ Editorial Code.

And their work demonstrates their adherence to journalistic values, with new media engagement and innovative use of technology. Their coverage of the war in Gaza, for instance, covers a variety of angles, utilizes new media tools and embraces citizen journalism — all in a blog format. 

One story, Israel, Gaza, War and Data — The Art of Personalizing Propaganda, published on Aug. 4 features data visualizations demonstrating that our preconceived beliefs about the area are dictating what we are consuming and whether we are being fed pro-israeli or pro-Palestinian news.

Screenshot of the Global Voices story Israel, Gaza, War and Data — The Art of Personalizing Propaganda.

“The better we get at modeling user preferences, the more accurately we construct recommendation engines that fully capture user attention. In a way, we are building personalized propaganda engines that feeds user content which makes them feel good and throws away the uncomfortable bits,” the article accompanying the visualizations states. 

Looking specifically at the war in Gaza, the article and visualizations demonstrate that news which makes us uncomfortable is being filtered out and we are seeing news consistent with our views rather than differing view points. 

It provides evidence in looking at what English-written news is being disseminated, like the news that an Israeli strike was deemed “disgraceful” by the UN, but of which there was little mention in Hebrew-written news.

This story uses data analysis, visualization, blog-style writing, citizen Tweets and general news analysis in an objective and informative way, following basic journalistic guidelines. They have other articles that provide us with more detailed information on the war in Gaza, but this one provides us with valuable information on how we are perceiving the war, how our own behaviors are feeding into the propaganda machine and further polarizing the issue. It helps arm us with the knowledge to be critical consumers of news, while helping us to understand our own power in it all.

Another story published on Aug. 5 — “Following a Ceasefire in Gaza, Infographics Show the Scale of 30 Days of Death and Damage” — uses the power of numbers to tell the story. Sometimes the numbers speak for themselves and this is one such situation. It shows that the death toll among Palestinians is 1,868, with 9,563 wounded and 475,000 displaced, 5,510 houses demolished, 30,920 damaged, 43 mosques demolished, 120 hit, 188 schools damaged and 24 medical facilities damaged. In contrast, the death toll in Israel is between 67 and 161 with 651 wounded.

Screenshot of Global Voices story “Following a Ceasefire in Gaza, Infographics Show the Scale of 30 Days of Death and Damage”

The Infographic puts into perspective a 72-hour ceasefire after 30 days of fighting. It explains that of the 67 Israelis who have died (as reported by the Israeli government), 64 were soldiers and three were civilians. It doesn’t list how many of the thousands of dead Palestinians were civilians, but notes that in that number there were nine UN officials, 16 health care workers, and 12 journalists. It also shares several other infographics that have popped up over the Internet displaying the situation visually. The other infographics detail the overall situation, the impact on the health and education sectors, and religious institutions destroyed and damaged.

The entry is targeted, focused on the raw numbers and provides relevant context needed to understand the situation. It melds new and old media concepts to create an easy to understand and engaging blog entry.

In another entry — “Photo: Watching Rockets Fly Over Gaza from Space” — is simply the republication of a tweet and photo by astronaut Alexander Gerst showing the view of Gaza from space. In this case, the entry didn’t need much context, it speaks volumes on its own. The only context they provide is that the image was retweeted 33K times. In my view this is the type of entry that legacy media tend to avoid but which new media consumers thrive on. Sometimes an image says enough with only a sentence or two. It adds to the other coverage being provided and a view from another angle, literally. 

Screenshot of Global Voices entry “Photo: Watching Rockets Fly Over Gaza from Space”

Global Voices lives up to it’s name, but it isn’t just focused on the individual. By reaching in to tell personal stories and pulling out to look at the whole situation, while utilizing the best of traditional news and new media practices, they are getting closer to complete understanding of global events than media that don’t embrace both in the same innovative way. By distributing their content in a blog format, with many contributors, utilizing an inviting and conversational writing style — they are attracting viewers and readers from the new media generation while fulfilling the demand for substantial news. They are also demonstrating that they can do all of those things without sacrificing journalistic values and ethics. And they are doing it absent the traditional news business model, as they are a non-profit organization that receives funding from other civically-minded organizations. And they are staying true to the open nature of the Internet by licensing all of their content under a sharable Creative Commons license, focusing on translating news into multiple languages and supporting digital activism around the world so the masses can have access to key information on their communities and the world at large.

Screenshot of Global Voices’ Manifesto

References:

Barnes, C. (2012). Citizen journalism vs. traditional journalism: A case for collaboration. Caribbean Quarterly, 58(2), 16-27,179. Retrieved from http://ezproxy.snhu.edu/login?url=http://search.proquest.com/docview/1237145950?accountid=3783

The news release Penn State should have issued — well sort of

So, I’ve been tasked with writing a news release and Facebook post announcing the death of Joe Paterno. The fictional release that I’ve written is from Penn State University (not really) and you will notice it addresses the firing of the legendary coach. The news release that Penn State actually issued doesn’t mention his firing and doesn’t mention the controversy over why he was fired — the association with alleged child molester Jerry Sandusky. But if Penn State had hopes of a news organization picking up their news release and using it with minimal influence, they have to mention these thorny issues and make it newsworthy. So this fictional news release keeps all the self-promotional tidbits that are at the heart of PR while weaving in the details they would rather not discuss — which is what the journalists want, while still avoiding some other unsavory facts. A good public relations person takes on tough issues head on so that they have maximum control over how they are portrayed and increase the likelihood that the news organizations pick up the news release.

Facebook post:

BREAKING NEWS: Long-time Penn State football coach Joe Paterno died at 85 years old on Sunday. While Penn State had to make the unfortunate, yet necessary, decision to sever ties with Paterno in light of the Jerry Sandusky controversy — Paterno remains a legendary figure whose impact at Penn State will forever be remembered and appreciated. 

Photo Credit: PSUMark2006, Creative Commons License at http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Category:Joe_Paterno#mediaviewer/File:Joe_Paterno_Sideline_PSU-Illinois_2006.jpg

Penn State Nittany Lions head coach Joe Paterno celebrates with his players after his 400th win in 2010

*News release from Pennsylvania State University (not really)*

Long-time football coach Joe Paterno dies

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Legendary football couch Joe Paterno, who led the Penn State Nittany Lions to more victories than any other major football coach, died Sunday at 85 years old. He was surrounded by his family when he lost his battle with lung cancer at the Mount Nittany Medical Center (Penn, 2011).

The entire university mourns the passing of Paterno, who left a lasting legacy at the university.

“He died as he lived. He fought hard until the end, stayed positive, thought only of others and constantly reminded everyone of how blessed his life had been,” the Paterno family said in a statement.

Paterno was a member of the Penn State coaching staff for 62 years, and was head coach of the Nittany Lions for nearly 46 years — spanning the leadership of 13 U.S. Presidents, starting with Harry Truman. He was the first of three active coaches to be inducted into the National Foundation’s College Hall of Fame in 2007 (Penn, 2011).

While his success as a Penn State coach and his positive impact on the university is undeniable, the Board of Trustees was forced to address allegations that Paterno and then Penn State President Graham Spanier didn’t appropriately act on reports that former assistant coach Jerry Sandusky had allegedly sexually abused young boys during his time at the university. It was an unfortunate but necessary decision to sever ties with Paterno and thereby ensure that the university abides by the highest possible standards in dealing with allegations of wrong doing.

Paterno was succeeded by Bill O’Brien as head coach after the university’s Board of Trustees voted to part ways with Paterno. In a statement Sunday, O’Brien said, “The Penn State Football program is one of college football’s iconic programs because it was led by an icon in the coaching profession in Joe Paterno. There are no words to express my respect for him as a man and as a coach. To be following in his footsteps at Penn State is an honor,” (Penn, 2011).

Paterno led the team to win more games than any other major-college football coach. His last victory was on Oct. 29, 2011, when Penn State defeated Illinois 10-7. It was Paterno’s 409th win. During his long career, he was named national coach of the year five times, had five unbeaten and untied teams and was coach when Penn State ranked No. 1 in 1982 and 1986 (Goldstein, 2012).

Photo Credit: Ben Stanfield, Creative Commons License at http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Category:Joe_Paterno#mediaviewer/File:Joe_Paterno_runs_out_with_team_crop.jpg

Penn State Head Coach Joe Paterno runs out with his team. Penn State took on Florida International University at Beaver Stadium in University Park, Pa. on Saturday, Sept. 1, 2007. The final score was 59-0 with Penn State as the victor.

He was well known for his “Grand Experiment,” where he committed to nurturing a team of young men who excel on the field and graduate with distinction and go on to be valuable members of society (Penn, 2011). And Paterno delivered, with the team achieving one of the highest graduation rates, at 87 percent (Penn, 2011).

Paterno’s family donated more than $4 million to the university and a wing of the library was named for him and his wife in 2000 (Goldstein, 2012). The family was also actively involved with the Special Olympics Pennsylvania Summer Games and they were inductees into the games’ Hall of Fame (Penn, 2011).

In 2009, the Paternos announced a $1 million gift to the Mount Nittany Medical Center, which helped support a three-flour, 42,000-square foot expansion of the health facility (Penn, 2011).

“As the last 61 years have shown, Joe made an incredible impact. That impact has been felt and appreciated by our family in the form of thousands of letters and well wishes along with countless acts of kindness from people whose lives he touched,” the Paterno family said in a statement.

Born Joseph Vincent Paterno on Dec. 21, 1926, he grew up in Flatbush, Brooklyn. He played football and basketball at Brooklyn Prep. He was later an English major at Brown University, where he was a quarterback and defensive back. In 1950 he came to Penn State to coach the quarterbacks. In June 1973 Paterno became the first Penn State football coach to deliver the university’s commencement address.

He leaves behind five children — Diana, Mary Kay, David and Scott — all Penn State graduates, and 17 grandchildren (Penn, 2011).

His family asks that in lieu of flowers and gifts, donations be made to the Special Olympics of Pennsylvania or the Penn State-THON, the Penn State IFC/ Panhellenic Dance Marathon (Penn, 2011).

About Penn State:

The Pennsylvania State University, founded in 1855, is the Commonwealth of Penn­sylvania’s sole land-grant institution and its largest public university. Penn State’s land-grant mission embraces teaching, research, and public service in order to support the citizens of the Commonwealth, collaborating with industrial, educational, and agricultural partners to generate, disseminate, integrate, and apply knowledge that is valuable to society. The University generates approximately $8.5 billion in direct and indirect economic impact annually within Pennsylvania.

Check out the real press release from Penn State

Statement from the Paterno family

Statement from Penn State Athletics

Statement from Bill O’Brien

References

Goldstein, R. (2012). Joe Paterno, longtime Penn State coach, dies at 85. The New York Times. Retrieved from http://www.nytimes.com/2012/01/23/sports/ncaafootball/joe-paterno-longtime-penn-state-coach-dies-at-85.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0

Penn State University (2011). Penn State Athletics. Retrieved from http://www.gopsusports.com/genrel/030414aaa.html