Interactive Storytelling

Private Property or Public Gain: The Battle Over Eminent Domain

http://www.app.com/special/eminentdomain/intro.html

Asbury Park Press (Neptune, NJ)

“Good multimedia on an emerging issue.”
-2006 Knight-Batten Advisory Board Judges

The story of an oceanfront development plan which threatens to take away the homes of long-time shore dwellers told through the eyes of those affected using maps, video, audio and other interactive elements. The Asbury Park Press coverage of this issue has propelled property rights into a national debate.

Money Power and Respect/ Big Trigg

http://www.brendakenneally.com/theblock

University of Miami School of Communication (Coral Gables, FL)

“Kudos for the production values.”
-2006 Knight-Batten Advisory Board Judges

University of Miami School of Communication project includes two artistic, moving, Flash-driven Web packages about inner-city life and drugs. Money Power and Respect profiles four drug-addicted Brooklyn women and their families through an audio-accompanied slide show with photographs spanning 10 years. Big Trigg is a short film and slide show that tells the story of an aspiring rapper who sells drugs to support his career.

Nuclear Nightmares: Twenty Years Since Chernobyl

http://www.pixelpress.org/chernobyl/index.html

PixelPress (New York, NY)

“The stunning images tell their own stories.”
-2006 Knight-Batten Advisory Board Judges

A package of overwhelming photographs and captions depicting the physical, social and economic effects still plaguing an area 20 years after the Chernobyl disaster. Photos compiled by New York City’s PixelPress show birth defects and rare conditions caused by Chernobyl and other Soviet and Russian nuclear testing. Captions provide brief stories of the affected people. Facts about nuclear testing in the former Soviet Union are included.

Toxic Legacy

http://www.northjersey.com/toxiclegacy

The Record (Bergen County, NJ)

“A classic use of multimedia to enhance a story.”
-2006 Knight-Batten Advisory Board Judges

Investigative report by The (Bergen County, NJ) Record detailing the ongoing environmental disruption and community health issues caused by an industrial waste dump left behind by a factory that has been closed for 25 years. A five-day newspaper series was also displayed on the Web enhanced with video, audio, photo slide shows, community message boards and a log of documents used to write the story. The report prompted government action.

Unrighteous Traffick

http://www.projo.com/extra/2006/slavery/

The Providence Journal and projo.com (Providence, RI)

“Another beautifully told story.”
-2006 Knight-Batten Advisory Board Judges

This artful and informative series composed by The Providence Journal tells the story of the dominant role Rhode Island played in the slave trade. Original art, music, stories and audio interviews with key subjects and experts enrich the exploration of the controversy surrounding Brown University and the Brown family that was heavily involved in the state’s slave history

P.O.V. Borders: American ID

http://www.pbs.org/pov/borders/2006/index.html

P.O.V./ PBS (New York, NY)

“Cool, deep, rich non-linear storytelling. The Describe America in Three Words exercise is great.”
-2006 Knight-Batten Advisory Board Judges

Attractively composed Web site featuring interactive video, audio and photos of American and international people voicing their opinions on what “freedom” means, the perception of America and what shapes American identity. Articles discuss how America markets itself and democracy and provide further insight on how people view the U.S. PBS uses a Flickr “feed-grab” to show image result for searches on “freedom,” “democracy” and “American.”

Reader's Choice

http://www.madison.com/wsj/

Wisconsin State Journal (Madison, WI)

“Bold ... It’s bringing the community into the newsroom.”
-2006 Knight-Batten Advisory Board Judges

The Wisconsin State Journal invites readers to vote every day between 11 a.m. and 4 p.m. on what news story they’d most like to see on the front page of the next day’s newspaper. The paper chooses four or five possible stories to be voted upon by readers and the winner goes on the front page of the next day’s State Journal unless breaking news displaces it.

iHerald

http://www.mainetoday.com/iherald/

Portland Press Herald and Maine Sunday Telegram (Portland, ME)

“Clever ideas here and a new take on reverse publishing.”
-2006 Knight-Batten Advisory Board Judges

A Monday print section of the Portland Press herald brings citizen voices into the newspaper via the Web. Two-thirds of staff-written centerpieces have been based on reader suggestions. Regular features include: “Since you Asked,” a reader story idea factory; “Write about it,” for readers essays; favorite bookmarks of local people; and a “plog,” a print blog in which a columnist reacts to and weaves in readers’ Web dialogue about news stories.

Absence of Place: The Reader's View

http://www.miami.com/multimedia/miami/news/archive/absence/index.html

The Miami Herald and MiamiHerald.com (Miami, FL)

“They pulled the thread on a wonderful idea and attracted more participants… Tell us their stories, too.”
-2006 Knight-Batten Advisory Board Judges

Inspired by a photo collection of an individual artist, the Miami Herald launched an interactive multimedia project inviting readers to photograph disappearing cityscapes and share their memories of what used to be there in a combination of public art and citizen media. It is both an online presentation (more than 200 photos were uploaded) and an actual art exhibit at the Miami Herald.

The Mercury Menace

http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/specials/broadband/chi-mercury-htmlstory,0,3799369.htmlstory

The Chicago Tribune (Chicago, IL)

“Very good story. Very good use of multimedia.”
-2006 Knight-Batten Advisory Board Judges

The Chicago Tribune’s investigative series revealed supermarkets in Chicago are routinely selling seafood contaminated by mercury at levels underreported by the government and in violation of food safety rules. The report prompted an FDA investigation. An accompanying interactive educational Web site includes a calculator of how much fish you can safely eat.

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