"Snow Fall," The New York Times' highly acclaimed multimedia narrative about an avalanche, came out in 2012, garnering attention and excitement about the potential for such reporting, Corey Hutchins reports for the Columbia Journalism Review. After the success of "Snow Fall," similar productions showed up on the horizon, ascribing to a similar design, focusing on sports stories or outdoor adventures. These narratives came from large newsrooms such as The Washington Post and Grantland.
This fall, C-Ville Weekly, a newspaper in Charlottesville, Va., with a circulation of about 25,000, produced "The Road," which Hutchins calls "A wonky, detailed but compelling multimedia project" about a proposed US 29 bypass around the town "and attempts to reset the public debate at a crucial point in the decision-making process."
"The Road" has videos, graphics, maps, audio from public meetings editorial cartoons and a comment feature. Hutchins says one reviewer aptly described it as "exhaustive, but not, despite its wonkish policy implications, exhausting." C-Ville Weekly created "The Road" with help from Vibethink, a local web design firm. The collaboration allowed the paper to complete the project with a very low budget.
C-Ville Weekly Editor Giles Morris said in a Google Hangout interview that he and his team weren't daunted by the fear that they didn't have the resources to take on the project. "You can't measure it . . . by the amount of money you throw at it," he said, expressing gratitude for Vibethink's help.
When asked about the ideas behind the topic for the production, Morris said, "[We were looking for] a story that could have a real impact in the local conversation. We felt like this was a real chance to lay things out on the table for the public." (Read more)
This fall, C-Ville Weekly, a newspaper in Charlottesville, Va., with a circulation of about 25,000, produced "The Road," which Hutchins calls "A wonky, detailed but compelling multimedia project" about a proposed US 29 bypass around the town "and attempts to reset the public debate at a crucial point in the decision-making process."
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| The state estimated that grade-separated interchanges (overpasses/underpasses) would do more to shorten delay times on US 29 than the bypass would. |
C-Ville Weekly Editor Giles Morris said in a Google Hangout interview that he and his team weren't daunted by the fear that they didn't have the resources to take on the project. "You can't measure it . . . by the amount of money you throw at it," he said, expressing gratitude for Vibethink's help.
The project included sound bites that readers could play at will.
Joshua Hatch, senior editor for data interactives at the Chronicle for Higher Education, talked with Hutchins about the unique opportunities for news presentation through multimedia projects like this one. "Each of these media has to serve a purpose, and you use them for a reason," he said. He said it's valuable to decide which part of the story should be told through audio and which through visuals.
When asked about the ideas behind the topic for the production, Morris said, "[We were looking for] a story that could have a real impact in the local conversation. We felt like this was a real chance to lay things out on the table for the public." (Read more)
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