It all comes down to journalism

Posted on February 12, 2007 by Melissa Worden

I’ve been thinking about this all weekend.

Amy Webb told newspapers to take notice because “the smart folks at Yahoo are doing the kind of innovative journalism that’s (sic) online users have come to expect.” She’s talking about an interactive map they’ve designed that compares minimum wages around the world.

But several people have been critiquing it over on the ONA newslist, saying it lacks any substance.

Vin Crosbie says “Although it’s a savvy example of Flash, it’s the visual equivalent of the oversimplified ‘Sound Bite’ type of reporting that’s given American journalism a bad name.”

He goes on to propose we call this type of work “Sound Byte journalism.”

Amy’s right in that this kind of presentation will wow readers and we should strive to create jaw-dropping presentations. But I absolutely agree with Vin. They must be paired with solid journalism.

At first blush, this interactive is impressive. The flash designer did a nice job of presenting all the pieces. How could you ever go wrong with that?

Ah, be careful. When you design such a nice interactive, people are going to take notice. And repurposing AP stats isn’t going to cut it — especially on a subject like this and in a format like this that when put together are begging for an opportunity to dig deep into the data.

Although I have to say I don’t think the criticism would have been as harsh if Yahoo! hadn’t tried to tackle such a complicated and serious subject. People weren’t up in arms over this graphic by USATODAY.com about NBC’s show “Heroes.” Beautifully done, but it’s also another example of “sound byte” journalism. Are there instances where sound bites are OK? Is it a different story when it comes to features?

Don’t get me wrong, I think papers ARE designing and producing some amazing interactives that combine substance and style. MultimediaShooter has a list to prove it.

Washingtonpost.com’s OnBeing, as a most recent example, marries the two beautifully. The visuals make you take notice and get people talking. The journalism behind it gives it the substance. THAT’S why it’s so successful.

So as we strive to compete for eyeballs amid the constant stream of information that commands readers’ attention, we should remember this lesson: Flash will get you recognized, but make sure they remember you because of your journalism, not just the pretty picture.

Oh, and all this talk about what the graphic is and isn’t is worthwhile and educational, but we’ve also missed Amy’s point: Yahoo! is producing interactive graphics.

We think we’re sitting pretty over in our online departments as we tell our print counterparts that the end is near. Sure, Yahoo!’s content is repurposed right now. But it may not be for long. Clearly they have some talented designers. All they have to do now is hire the talented journalists.