Poynter. » Visual Voice

How one illustrator approaches investigative reporting

Sara Dickenson Quinn — Wed, 20 Mar 2013 12:45:26 +0000

Artist Marina Luz faced a journalistic challenge.

She had to illustrate the story of a young woman named “Jennifer,” who had been sexually abused in a state-run facility. But she could not use an image of Jennifer. What’s more, she … Read more

‘Journalist’ or ‘illustrator’? How self-identification affects designers’ job satisfaction

Adam Hochberg — Tue, 19 Mar 2013 12:16:15 +0000

When veteran newspaper artist and designer Charles Apple worked at the (Raleigh) News & Observer in the 1990’s, he and his colleagues had an ongoing discussion about how they viewed their own jobs.

As they drew up the artwork, maps … Read more

What journalists need to know about Web design

Casey Frechette — Thu, 14 Mar 2013 12:55:27 +0000

Fifty milliseconds. That’s how quickly visitors can form strong, long-lasting impressions about your news or information website. But they aren’t sizing up the quality of your content or the sophistication of your code. They’re making nearly instantaneous, mostly subconscious judgments … Read more

Tablet storytelling is visual, tappable, deep

Sara Quinn and Karen Dunlap — Tue, 12 Mar 2013 11:00:17 +0000

Three years after Apple and others put digital tablets firmly into the hands of consumers, what do we really know about the way the devices are used for news?

Hundreds of people filed in to a large ballroom at South … Read more

New York Times’ ‘Seinfeld-esque’ sports page shows the power of nothing

Sara Dickenson Quinn — Thu, 10 Jan 2013 19:55:44 +0000

Kapow! Blam! Surprise! Sometimes, that’s what nothing can do.

The New York Times sports staff reminded us of that again with their cover “story” about this year’s Baseball Hall of Fame inductees — or lack, thereof.

: This sports front

Using illustrated reportage to cover human trafficking in Nepal’s brick kilns

Dan Archer — Tue, 18 Dec 2012 16:31:07 +0000

I am writing this from Kathmandu, Nepal, where I’m currently reporting on human trafficking using graphic journalism. I chose Nepal because visuals have huge potential here to reach at-risk communities with low literacy levels. Using comics to adapt survivor testimonies into a … Read more

Why do we blame the (visual) messenger for tragedies?

Kenneth Irby — Mon, 10 Dec 2012 11:50:15 +0000

With the click of a shutter, in a dimly illuminated New York City subway tunnel, on the evening of December 3, it happened again.

Actually, it was more like several clicks of the shutter, and the “it” was another tragic … Read more

What journalists need to know about storytelling on tablets

Mallary Jean Tenore — Thu, 15 Nov 2012 16:27:53 +0000

Poynter’s most recent Eyetrack study reveals some interesting findings about how readers consume news on tablet devices. During a live chat, Poynter’s Sara Quinn and Northwestern University’s Jeremy Gilbert talked about the findings and their implications for journalists.

Here are … Read more

How NY Daily News, Tampa Bay Times got those cover shots of Jill Kelley, David Petraeus

Kenneth Irby — Mon, 12 Nov 2012 18:01:12 +0000

As journalists reported on Gen. David Petraeus’ resignation from the CIA, photos spread over the weekend of the women involved.

Petraeus resigned after the FBI learned he had an affair with biographer Paula Broadwell. The affair came to … Read more

Why photo of the First Couple was Obama’s most retweeted ever

Sara Dickenson Quinn — Wed, 07 Nov 2012 16:57:04 +0000

Images and graphics are often the things shared most by people after an event of last night’s magnitude.

Photos capture moments frozen in time.

Graphics can distill the complex.

Interactive graphics can allow people to peruse and discover at their … Read more