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.
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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
La Voz de Chatham
During my RJI innovation fellowship at the Chatham News + Record this summer, I worked on a variety of audience engagement-related projects. One of the efforts that particularly excited me was a project made possible by a Facebook Journalism Project COVID-19 Local News Relief Grant, which the News + Record received right before the start … Continued
Creating a voice in podcasting
Podcasts create an audience connection by connecting your community with a voice from your newsroom. This can diversify your audience’s experience through audio accessibility which gives you the opportunity to reach new parts of your community. One of The Washington Post’s most popular podcasts is “Can He Do That?” It discusses the powers and limitations of the President, and how … Continued
Q&A: Behind the AP News app with Dave Clark
Tatyana Monnay is the RJI Student Innovation Fellow at the Associated Press. This summer our student fellows will be sharing dispatches from their fellowships in newsrooms across the country for Innovation in Focus. Dave Clark is a mobile editor for the Associated Press. We spoke with him about the work that goes into the language choices and editing for … Continued
Getting started as an independent journalist
Hannah Yoon, independent visual journalist, Mason Trinca, documentary and editorial photojournalist, Sarah Fritsche, independent food writer and editor, and Maddie McGarvey, independent photographer, joined our discussion on how to succeed as an independent journalist. We talked about healthcare, building your client base, making time for personal projects, invoicing & contracts, how to prepare for slow months … Continued
The Missouri Info Corps COVID-19 widget
What is the COVID-19 widget? And why should I want it on my news site? This widget is a free and easy way for your news organization to display Missouri Info Corps COVID-19 stories on your news site. If your news organization has taken a hit in resources and reporters over the past few months, this … Continued
5 lessons from creating my first AMP story
Caroline Watkins is the RJI Student Innovation Fellow at the Chatham News + Record in North Carolina. This summer our student fellows will be sharing dispatches from their fellowships in newsrooms across the country as a part of Innovation in Focus. As part of my RJI Student Innovation Fellowship, I created my first-ever AMP story for The Chatham News + Record. I … Continued
Interactive experiences: personalization and revisit value
For this Innovation in Focus, we spoke with Financial Times Data Reporter, David Blood, and Senior Developer, Ændrew Rininsland, to learn about how their interactive work has progressed, lessons learned, and see where they’re headed next. Greenway: How did you get started with interactive experiences? Rininsland: I’m a life-long web nerd and have been building web pages … Continued
COVID-19 news widget
Learn how to put the Missouri Info Corps COVID-19 widget on your news homepage for a regular inflow of COVID-19 news from around the state.
Mixed reality: Meeting readers where they are
Trent Tarantino is the RJI Student Innovation Fellow at the Washington Post in Washington, D.C. This summer our student fellows will be sharing dispatches from their fellowships in newsrooms across the country as a part of Innovation in Focus. Jeremy Gilbert, of The Washington Post, and Robert Hernandez, of USC Annenberg, discuss mixed reality for … Continued
Archives: Bringing curiosity and context to content
“My advice for any reporter or photographer who wants to work with their news organization’s archives is to bring to the task exactly what you bring to your daily reporting — a sense of curiosity,” said Kori Rumore Finley of The Chicago Tribune.