Copyright Goodheart-Willcox Co., Inc. 516 Journalism: Publishing Across Media Developing Story Packages for the Web Developing Story Packages for the Web Your publication’s staff may have the ability to write solid journalistic stories, shoot and edit compelling video, and tell stories through still photography, audio storytelling, interactive elements and alternative story forms. But just because you can do something does not mean you should do something, and not every story is best told through each of these storytelling tools. As you plan your online story, ask these key questions: 1. How much time, and how much help, do I have? If you are covering breaking news, your priority is to gather and publish news swiftly. Interactive graphics or video may come later. Focus on tools that allow you to collect and publish information from multiple sources as the story unfolds, possibly embedding social media posts into your story. 2. Does this story “have legs”? In Chapter 8 you learned some stories “have legs” and are worth pursuing, while others are not. This is doubly true as you consider online stories. Multimedia storytelling can take a great deal of time or require that you develop new digital skills. Do not invest time and resources in a project that will be old news by the time your package is ready to publish. 3. Is my main goal to inform the reader or is it to make the reader experience something? If the purpose is to inform, you will probably include data visualizations such as charts and graphs, explanatory diagrams or step-by-step slideshows to clarify and illustrate the information in your text. However, stories focused on conveying an experience will probably include video, audio or immersive storytelling modes that blend text and visuals. 4. Are any of the following particularly relevant to the story: sound, time or chronology, sequence, data, geographic location? If the answer to any of those is yes, you may want to include a relevant alternative story form for the story. • sound: embedded audio clips • time or chronology: interactive timeline Figure 16.24 Interactive graphics can be created with online programs and then embedded in your site using the source editor. Source editor Embed code