Digital models of publishing and presenting stories have led to the creation of new platforms that help journalists take full advantage of interactive content and storytelling forms.<\/p>\n
In journalism today, good writing alone is no longer enough. Storytelling must be visually compelling as well as interactive, a lesson that the\u00a0Oxpeckers Center for Investigative Environmental Journalism<\/a>\u00a0incorporated into a recent project investigating land and property rights, titled \u201cKruger\u2019s Contested Borderlands<\/a>.\u201d<\/p>\n South African environmental journalist Fiona Macleod, president of Oxpeckers, joined journalists, technologists, designers and multimedia experts at a Reporting Land Rights event held in South Africa. At the event, she explained the story and shared the methods the team used to create the project.<\/p>\n \u201cGame reserves are being developed along the Mozambican border with Kruger National Park to create a buffer zone against the poaching of rhinos and elephants,\u201d she said. \u201cHowever, displaced communities say it\u2019s a land grab by rich foreigners, aided by corrupt politicians.\u201d<\/p>\n The team decided to investigate. Mozambican journalist Estacio Valoi carried out the initial investigation and it soon became a collaborative reporting effort produced by Oxpeckers in partnership with Code for Africa, AfricanDrone and the African Network of Centres for Investigative Reporting (ANCIR). It was funded by the Pulitzer Center on Crisis Reporting and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation with support from the International Center for Journalists (ICFJ).<\/p>\n \u201cIn \u201cKruger\u2019s Contested Borderlands\u201d we combined drone photojournalism, videos, satellite imagery, data visualizations, still photography and text,\u201d said Macleod.<\/p>\n It was also\u00a0translated into Portuguese<\/a>\u00a0to reach a larger audience, especially inside Mozambique.<\/p>\n After completing such a large project \u2014 one that involved many different groups and individuals \u2014 Macleod shared\u00a0lessons learned<\/a>\u00a0in a post.<\/p>\n To present the final story, the team used\u00a0Shorthand<\/a>, a platform for presenting multimedia journalism projects in a way that incorporates videos, images, text and more. Shorthand is frequently used by the\u00a0BBC<\/a>, the Guardian,\u00a0the Telegraph<\/a>,\u00a0Business Insider<\/a>, Time, LinkedIn and the\u00a0Thomson Reuters Foundation<\/a>\u00a0to present feature pieces that incorporate multiple multimedia elements. The online tool is designed for digital storytellers, publishers and brands, and can be harnessed by digital storytelling teams across the world to deliver visually striking stories.<\/p>\n ICFJ Knight Fellow Jacopo Ottaviani, chief development officer and data editor at Code for Africa, said the tool allows users to make digital longform stories even if they lack strong coding skills.<\/p>\n \u201cI would suggest Shorthand for in-depth long-form reportage that has to be accompanied with strong multimedia components, such as good videos, photos maps and data visualizations,\u201d said Ottaviani.<\/p>\n \u201cFreelancers and journalists are encouraged to heavily make use of Shorthand,\u201d said Ottaviani. \u201cThe tool can work with other digital tools. In Nigeria, in collaboration with The Punch, we also used Shorthand with the\u00a0Shifting Sands project<\/a>.\u201d<\/p>\n Steve Sapienza, senior producer at the Pulitzer Center on Crisis Reporting, also regularly uses Shorthand. He believes the tool is user friendly and is a visually stunning way to present a journalism story.<\/p>\n \u201cNot every story will make a good Shorthand story,\u201d said Sapienza. \u201cJournalists and editors need to consider what audio or visual assets and unique story assets are available before using Shorthand.\u201d<\/p>\n The visuals not only need to be strong but should complement the layout and capabilities of Shorthand. Stories that involve a timeline\u00a0or journeys are also good candidates, as well as stories that lend themselves to complimentary maps or data graphics.<\/p>\n \u201cShorthand is also useful for long investigative pieces, especially when linking together reporting that involves multiple locations such as a story that we supported\u00a0about land investments<\/a>\u00a0by the Financial Times,\u201d said Sapienza.<\/p>\n Sapienza also thinks that Thomson Reuters Foundation\u2019s\u00a0Slumscapes<\/a>\u00a0project works well as a Shorthand story. It uses Johnny Miller’s aerial drone imagery to expose the disparities between the have and have-nots.<\/p>\n Malawian journalist Lameck Masina used Shorthand for the first time to make a long-form story, combining videos on a land rights issues. He concurred that the digital publishing platform is easy to use but he also thinks it is very expensive.<\/p>\n \u201cI have tried out Shorthand\u2019s free trial version and I find it very interesting and useful. I like the built-in options that allows one to share the projects on social media. But let\u2019s face it, this tool is not for those with empty pockets,\u201d said Masina.<\/p>\n Indeed, at a starting plan of US$20 per month, Shorthand does not come cheap. Before deciding to invest in the tool, users can test it using the free trial option.<\/p>\n Ottaviani also stated that alternative web-based applications like\u00a0Steller\u00a0<\/a>can be used to produce similar results.<\/p>\n Main image from Oxpeckers’ “Kruger’s Contested Borderlands<\/a>” shorthand package.\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n Source: ijnet.org<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n