Innovation in Focus
Innovation in Focus is a series exploring new tech, tools and methods of storytelling for journalism. We interview experts, test ideas and provide our findings with templates, guidance and how-tos so you can implement the same innovations in your newsroom.
Sign up for the Innovation in Focus Newsletter to get a monthly delivery of each topic.
Whether you’re a one-man band or a large metro, this series will help you take the next step in innovative journalism.
Email the editor: lytle@rjionline.org
Efficient ways to collect information for a community directory
Experimenting with tools that scrape websites, collect data and format it efficiently.
Going beyond traditional surveying to map community assets
Highlight community resources and stakeholders through interactive mapping.
How community mapping can lead to impact in public health and community journalism
A conversation with Kait Guild and Michael Lawler, Mobile Health Map.
Creative experiments in fundraising, from shared proceeds to microgiving and countdown clocks
A conversation with Mariko Chang, Honolulu Civil Beat.
Radio Rivals: A friendly competition to engage new donors
How public radio stations KBIA, KPR embraced their football rivalry.
How we built our vertical video guide
A living resource to support onboarding, consistency and experimentation at Epicenter NYC.
Training a newsroom on data visualizations
Creating an accessible, comprehensive guide to data viz for reporters at all skill levels.
Creating a map visualization that can auto-update data over time
Making public data more accessible with Tableau Public and GitHub actions.
Newsletter A/B tests you can try — and how to set it up
Experimenting by adding links and generating AI summaries for newsletters.
Integrating more visual storytelling into a text heavy newsroom
Mountain State Spotlight’s templates and tips for starting with vertical video.