Free tools for interactive digital storytelling

Interactive maps and data visualizations are great visuals to add to any online news package. These can be created using code, but there are also many online tools that your newsroom can use to improve digital storytelling for very little or no cost.

How to plan, report and produce a serialized podcast

A serialized podcast is a series of podcast episodes that connect with one another to tell a story. If your newsroom wants to try producing a serialized podcast, here are three tips on how to do just that from what Regan Mertz has learned so far.

Descript, overdub: Q&A with Tamar Charney

Innovation in Focus is a series exploring emerging technology and methods of storytelling for newsrooms worldwide. We interview experts, test tools and provide our findings on a different topic each month. For Innovation in Focus this month I spoke with Tamar Charney, managing director for personalization and curation at NPR, about the ethics of redubbing, … Continued

Descript video: Tips and tricks

Innovation in Focus is a series exploring emerging technology and methods of storytelling for newsrooms worldwide. We interview experts, test tools and provide our findings on a different topic each month. This month I tested Descript’s new video editing software to create this video about a local maker and his business. Here are five tips … Continued

Celebrating life, accomplishments of RJI’s first executive director, renowned journalist Pam Johnson

Thought leader. Teacher. “Champion of female and minority journalists.” Renowned journalist. Industry leader. These were just a few of the words that are used to describe Pam Johnson, 74, founding executive director of the Donald W. Reynolds Journalism Institute, who died Jan. 20 after a long illness. Johnson, a Missouri School of Journalism graduate, came … Continued

Narrated article: Tips and tricks

This month for Innovation in Focus, we tested various tools and platforms to provide narration for articles to make them more accessible to people with disabilities. Here are a few tips from our experiments with these tools. 1. Pace yourself Listening to information is a different experience from reading it. You want to speak at … Continued

Narrated article: Winter tips to stay safe and warm

This month for Innovation in Focus we tested various tools and platforms to provide narration for articles to make them more accessible. Listen to this article narrated: https://soundcloud.com/pili-swanson/narrated-article Here are some tips to staying healthy, safe and warm this winter season as the temperatures begin to drop. The CDC has COVID-19 tips for holiday gatherings, … Continued