Here are two examples of traditional media that "get it." They are leveraging the power of the Web to cover important stories.
WWJ Newsradio (Detroit) News Director Rob Davidek pointed me to the station's "24-hour Auto Show Channel," which includes hours of online audio,
video stories and interviews about the recent Detroit Auto Show.
The (Middletown, N.Y.)
Times Herald-Record's Christine Young has
a remarkable project that questions whether a man was wrongfully convicted almost 20 years ago for the murder of a young woman in New York City.
You should take a look at the multimedia version of this story. It includes a strong narrative punctuated by videos, including one in which the "suspect" makes a statement to police that doesn't square with the facts of the case. You can navigate a timeline that helps to explain why Lebrew Jones may not have killed the young prostitute. I particularly appreciated the "sources" tab, which lays out how the reporter knows what she knows.
Young writes in the online story that this case has gnawed at her since Jones was convicted in 1989. The online story explains how the whole case was reopened because of questions and evidence that she dug up. The paper tracked down key witnesses whom cops didn't interview, or didn't believe when they did.
In an epilogue to the story, Young writes that much of the physical evidence of the case has been destroyed or misplaced.
This is not just excellent journalism; it is a great example of how
online interactive storytelling can make a story stronger,
clearer, deeper and more memorable. Bravo.
Christine has written a wonderful and compelling story, from both...
