Traditional TV journalists who are asked to write "online versions" of their stories tend to simply make a few stylistic changes - switching present tense to past, placing attribution after quotes, converting to AP style for numbers - and submit the story. For traditional print journalists, the process of 'writing for web' is sometimes no more than the keystrokes 'copy', 'paste', and 'send.'
Simply repurposing the original story to the web misses out on the "world wide" part.
Adding relevent hyperlinks, both in the flow of content and in sidebars, can transform a traditional media report into a much richer, deeper, online version.
1. Hyperlinks can be used to provide background/chronology by linking to previous reports on the same topic: Mayoral candidate to stay in race despite loss of funding (kgw.com)
2. Hyperlinks in-content can offer pathways within the flow of a story to learn more about a related person, place or event: Wikipedia entry on Britney Spears
3. Hyperlinks as sidebars or end-bars can add depth and context, allowing readers to explore a story as deeply as they choose: TheMoneyMeltdown.com
Reporters routinely use the web to research their stories. In traditional print or TV newsrooms, those links were often discarded when the final story was written. In the online world, including those links can significantly enhance the depth and breadth of a story.
No comments:
Post a Comment