It all comes down to journalism
Posted on February 12, 2007
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.
Don’t miss this
Posted on February 12, 2007
Feels weird to blog about my own blog, but here goes:
Rob Curley posted a comment to the On OnBeing post I made a few days ago (regarding Patrick Beeson’s comment). I’d hate for it to get buried in the comments section because he makes some good points about monetizing — or rather, not monetizing — this project, including:
“Why are online journalists treated so differently at most newspapers than the print journalists are? I mean, if a print editor was planning a huge enterprise project that was going to be really special for the newspaper (and would take some resources to do successfully), would people ask that print editor how he or she was going to monetize it? Never. “
Update: Props to Patrick, of course, for bringing up the question.
Caveman’s crib
Posted on February 9, 2007
We can learn a lot from advertisements.
Geico’s site, Caveman’s Crib, is a fun tour with some great interactives and video overlay.
Try the iPod — you can change the music in the room for the rest of the tour. Move around the magnets on the fridge. Flip through books on the tables.
Download takes a bit, but it’s worth it.
(Link via Seth Gitner’s del.icio.us bookmarks)
I like to map it, map it
Posted on February 8, 2007
I had fun experimenting with the Faneuil Media’s Atlas mapping tool today — making one for an explainer of a news story and another as a locator for a breaking news story.
This is one easy-to-use product.
>> Just type in the address and presto, you have a point linked on the map.
>> Have a bunch of points to plot? No problem, there’s a batch upload to speed up input.
>> You can resize the map to fit your page and choose from different icons.
>> They allow for reader comments and photos (I haven’t tried this option out yet, but if it works, it’ll be a useful tool.)
>> Get more info at the Atlas Map of the Day blog.
>> And the best part: It’s free (for now, at least).
Check it out if you’re looking for a quick way to make an interactive graphic.
Thanks to Bryan Murley over at Innovation in College Media for getting the word out about this application.
Update: Speaking of maps, check out the Jacktracker on Wayfaring Map — a great packaging idea for an entertainment section.
Wayfaring is a nice community mapping site, btw. (Link found via What the blog?!)
Digital Edge awards
Posted on February 8, 2007
After the NAA’s Digital Edge Award winners announcement, I was hoping they would release comments about the winners. A list is nice, but why they won is what’s important.
Specifically, I was confused about the Most Innovative Storytelling category. For example, “Studio 55 Vodcast, Naples Daily News,” — self-explanatory. But “ChicagoTribune.com, Tribune Interactive” — not so much.
This speech helps.
ChicagoTribune.com’s entry in this category included “A Tank of Gas, A World of Trouble,” which brought users on an oil safari with video and other multimedia elements. Twelve staff members worked on the project over several months. Their entry also included a series on a death penalty case in Texas that has resulted in calls for a death penalty moratorium there.
Oh, OK.
I still want more, though. Even for the obvious choices, such as Studio 55, I’d like to learn what specifically the judges cited as exemplary journalism. This helps all of us grow, which should be a major reason for even having the awards.
On onBeing
Posted on February 7, 2007
Links to washingtonpost.com’s “onBeing” project flew through del.icio.us today. And right fully so.
The presentation and video are beautiful, and content is compelling.
The bar has just been raised, my friends.
Wow. And HD, too? See … it gives something a P&S just can’t. I tell ya, readers will get spoiled by this and won’t like the lower quality.
It won’t happen tomorrow, but in an industry that’s usually playing catch-up, why not prepare for the future?
Maybe it’s just me, but at first I thought the videos only were the 3-second or so previews played on the mouse rollover. I didn’t realize that you had to click on the video to play it. Whew. I’m glad I was wrong!
Also, I wonder if this feature is crazy popular tonight. The video is choppy, and it wasn’t this afternoon.
Name that produce
Posted on February 7, 2007
Do you know the difference between a Yuca and a Yam? We put together this quiz for our food section today. It’s a toughie, but you’ll be treated with some recipes along the way.
Matchup of the matchups, round 2
Posted on February 5, 2007
Funny. MSNBC.com and USATODAY.com go head-to-head again with Super Bowl graphics. This time it’s rating the ads.
>> In this corner, MSNBC.com uses brackets to help readers narrow down their choices to a No. 1 commercial of the game. Nice interactivity. Hit select, and you can see how everyone else ranked the same commercials. Then, they wrote a story about it. Love this.
>> In the other corner, USATODAY.com uses their video player and adds a poll to each commercial. Select the number of stars you rate the ad, and you see how your ranking compares to other readers’ votes. They, too, wrote a story — but based on a focus group’s opinions, not the interactive’s rankings.
All in all, a tie, I’d say. Although, I wonder if they’ll make the reverse-publishing leap and report these findings on TV and in print, respectively.
WOW
Posted on February 5, 2007
I thought using the Wii for multimedia was cool. But that ain’t nuthin’ compared to this touchscreen from Jefferson Han.
Wowzers.
“Minority Report” is predicting the future — personalized billboards (check), e-papers (check), and computer screens at your fingertips (check).
Not only is it an interactive experience for the user, but it also looks like it could be quite interactive for the designer, too. I’m intrigued by how they use the screen to sculpt and draw. Are we coming full circle? Hand drawing moves to computer drawing moves to hand drawing on the computer screen.
And watching the guys use the screen — which seems to become a 3D experience as they no longer have to navigate through Web pages as we see them now — it makes me think this would make non-linear storytelling even easier.
Love it!
(Video link found via MultimediaShooter)
Matchup of the matchups
Posted on February 4, 2007
I found these two Super Bowl matchup graphics today:
>>On one side of the scrimmage line: USATODAY.com
Not surprisingly, the graphics are nicely done. I like the drawings of the players.
>> On the other side: MSNBC.com
Graphics aren’t as nice, but I like the commentary here.
Once you get past the wow factor of USATODAY.com’s presentation, I have to say MSNBC.com wins for giving me more information. Although, it still left me wanting more — perhaps some video of the players in action integrated in here, too?
I couldn’t find anything like this at NFL.com (or SuperBowl.com), surprisingly. Both sites are so jam packed with info, though, I could have easily missed it.
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