Interactive news is a recent and innovative field in journalism, helping find new and creative ways for readers to consume and participate in news. It combines data journalism with data visualization and all the latest tools of the web including social media.
Michael's presentation showed us some of the possibilities of this field, especially in the area of sports. He showed us how the New York Times covered the soccer World Cup, using live-updated maps of the field that changed to display ball possession. Michael then showed us how he adapted this model for last year's coverage of the Quidditch World Cup for the Washington Square News.
Michael also showed us what he's working on for this year's Quidditch World Cup, including a new website and an iPad app that will let Cup officials update the website with stats instantaneously.
Interactive news is exciting, but as Michael told us, it is not a perfect science yet. He showed us some unsuccessful examples of interactive news, including one from Al Jazeera that seemed to have limited functionality. Michael explained that a lot of news organizations don't have the means to draw the best talent to this field, and even with the talent that they have, they don't have as much resources to devote as is really necessary.
Michael's presentation, however, showed me that this is a field that deserves one's full attention. While it is no substitute for a written article, interactive news has the potential to tell stories and engage audiences in ways that are not possible in a print medium. I believe the field will really take off once more accessible tools are developed so that smaller organizations and individuals can contribute, and not just the big organizations.
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