Journalists have traditionally seen their job as creating content. How that content then progresses — from when the journalist types the last sentence to when the story is ready for consumption — is usually a process involving other members of an editorial team: copy editors, art directors and designers, and other production people.
As I prepare the Spring 2022 syllabus for my Multiplatform Design & Storytelling class at Columbia University, I’m keenly aware that the students I train and mentor to be journalists need to become adept at how content and story formats come together.
The link that journalism and technology share has never been more essential and stronger. We can no longer separate how stories flow, how they are updated, and how they are promoted in social media and newsletters from the technology that allows for the constant flow of information.
This isn’t to say that journalists need to become coders. But a journalist today must understand the technical processes that allow us to keep information current and to tell stories in a more engaging, mobile-friendly manner. Readers who consume news and features on mobile devices appreciate stories that are told seamlessly, with the narrative and visual assets coming together in a natural flow. To do this effectively, journalists must conceptualize stories through an honest discussion that has format at its core. The idea must be to start thinking of how the story would be consumed in small formats (such as phone screens) and then adapt it to larger formats (such as printed material).
How a story is packaged today corresponds directly with the platform in which it will be consumed. It’s up to the individual reporter to recognize what each platform can do best and to exploit those qualities in the way the story is written and designed. For mobile stories, appeal to the senses beyond static photos to incorporate audio and video components.
We already see content relevance, format, and presentation becoming key engines to effective visual storytelling. In 2022, the emphasis on how content and format come together should be a centerpiece of strategic discussions in every newsroom.
Mario García is CEO of García Media.
Journalists have traditionally seen their job as creating content. How that content then progresses — from when the journalist types the last sentence to when the story is ready for consumption — is usually a process involving other members of an editorial team: copy editors, art directors and designers, and other production people.
As I prepare the Spring 2022 syllabus for my Multiplatform Design & Storytelling class at Columbia University, I’m keenly aware that the students I train and mentor to be journalists need to become adept at how content and story formats come together.
The link that journalism and technology share has never been more essential and stronger. We can no longer separate how stories flow, how they are updated, and how they are promoted in social media and newsletters from the technology that allows for the constant flow of information.
This isn’t to say that journalists need to become coders. But a journalist today must understand the technical processes that allow us to keep information current and to tell stories in a more engaging, mobile-friendly manner. Readers who consume news and features on mobile devices appreciate stories that are told seamlessly, with the narrative and visual assets coming together in a natural flow. To do this effectively, journalists must conceptualize stories through an honest discussion that has format at its core. The idea must be to start thinking of how the story would be consumed in small formats (such as phone screens) and then adapt it to larger formats (such as printed material).
How a story is packaged today corresponds directly with the platform in which it will be consumed. It’s up to the individual reporter to recognize what each platform can do best and to exploit those qualities in the way the story is written and designed. For mobile stories, appeal to the senses beyond static photos to incorporate audio and video components.
We already see content relevance, format, and presentation becoming key engines to effective visual storytelling. In 2022, the emphasis on how content and format come together should be a centerpiece of strategic discussions in every newsroom.
Mario García is CEO of García Media.
Natalia Viana
Meena Thiruvengadam
Tamar Charney
A.J. Bauer
Errin Haines
Mandy Jenkins
Eric Nuzum
Christoph Mergerson
Larry Ryckman
Daniel Eilemberg
Andrew Freedman
Mike Rispoli
Candace Amos
j. Siguru Wahutu
Melody Kramer
Francesco Zaffarano
Anika Anand
Kristen Jeffers
Simon Galperin
Alice Antheaume
Nikki Usher
Sarah Stonbely
Rasmus Kleis Nielsen
Raney Aronson-Rath
Whitney Phillips
Simon Allison
Chicas Poderosas
Anthony Nadler
Matt Karolian
An Xiao Mina
Joni Deutsch
Don Day
Wilson Liévano
Laxmi Parthasarathy
Anita Varma
Jody Brannon
Robert Hernandez
Julia Angwin
Sam Guzik
Ståle Grut
Millie Tran
Doris Truong
Joy Mayer
Brian Moritz
Jessica Clark
Julia Munslow
Joshua P. Darr
Amara Aguilar
Jennifer Brandel
Matt DeRienzo
Chase Davis
Janelle Salanga
Cristina Tardáguila
Jonas Kaiser
Ariel Zirulnick
Gabe Schneider
Victor Pickard
Gordon Crovitz
Tom Trewinnard
Cherian George
Christina Shih
Kathleen Searles Rebekah Trumble
Richard Tofel
Rachel Glickhouse
James Green
Amy Schmitz Weiss
Zizi Papacharissi
John Davidow
S. Mitra Kalita
Megan McCarthy
Sarah Marshall
Cindy Royal
Mario García
Matthew Pressman
Joanne McNeil
Jesenia De Moya Correa
Shannon McGregor Carolyn Schmitt
Kerri Hoffman
Tony Baranowski
Kendra Pierre-Louis
Catalina Albeanu
Parker Molloy
Kristen Muller
Jesse Holcomb
Mary Walter-Brown
Michael W. Wagner
Burt Herman
Paul Cheung
Joe Amditis
David Cohn
Stefanie Murray
Shalabh Upadhyay
Stephen Fowler
Jennifer Coogan
Jim Friedlich
David Skok
Moreno Cruz Osório
Juleyka Lantigua
Izabella Kaminska
Gonzalo del Peon