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
Interactive Chats: Our tips for building a story in InterviewJS
Find out how student creator Emily Dunn covered a story using InterviewJS.
Sonification: Turning stories into sound
Michael Corey, Senior Data Editor at Reveal, shares his tips for sonification storytelling
Sonification: Hearing drought in Missouri
Using data from 2000-2018, we created a sound story to highlight drought percentages in Missouri.
Social specific content: Building for Instagram, Snapchat and more
Tips on five tools we tried while creating social specific content for promotion of our video story.
Social specific content: Promoting your stories differently
We test different social specific content editors to promote a news feature video.
Bots: Tips and Tools
How to use the Facebook ad archive for projects and tips on what to think about before you start!
Bots: Meet the ProPublica Election DataBot
We spoke with one of the original creators of the ProPublica Election Databot.
Bots: Helping journalists find the story
We used an election databot to lead us to a story about ad numbers from two local politicians.
Games for News: Test your Como knowledge!
This month’s Innovation in Focus illustrates how to use a news game to let your readers interact with news stories. Emily Kummerfeld created this game for readers in Columbia, Missouri, to test their knowledge of the city. Next week: Sisi Wei, deputy editor of news applications at ProPublica, shares how ProPublica approaches building news games in its newsroom.
Infographics: Tips and Tools
Infographic building is a skill that some of us just don’t have. If you have the time, you could learn to use Adobe After Effects or if you have the budget, hire someone who is a pro. But if you’re like us and had to dive in with no experience, here are a few tools that can … Continued