Seven Tips in Digital Storytelling From the New York Times and CNN

Seven Tips in Digital Storytelling From the New York Times and CNN

Journalism.co.uk (Brighton, East Sussex, UK), May 31, 2012

Summary:

“We are in a golden age of storytelling” was the message shared by the New York Times’s assistant managing editor Jim Roberts early on in a session at the News World Summit today named ‘Obituary: The death of the traditional news story”.

For Roberts, this “death” was not something he is particularly worried about – as opposed to the risks being faced by foreign correspondents and issues relating to press freedom. When it comes to the evolution of the news story he said journalists have an “infinitely flexible” and “limitless” toolbox they can use “to employ their craft” on digital platforms.

Roberts was joined in the session by CNN International’s vice president of digital Peter Bale, who also spoke about the opportunities in digital storytelling to help journalists witness, create, curate, experiment, monetise and feed curiosity – although he made it clear there are no certainties in this at the moment.

Here are seven of the key takeaways from this session, based on the advice and examples shared by Roberts and Bale:

  1. Consider everything as a possible story lead
  2. Be comfortable across publishing formats
  3. Incorporate live feeds into main narratives
  4. Some stories “deserve to die”
  5. Look at opportunities in curation
  6. Recognise the power of the community
  7. Find ways to monetise the content
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