Text is the foundation of journalism
Wednesday, July 23, 2008
This post is one in a series covering the multimedia sessions at the 2008 UNITY Journalists conference
When speaking of multimedia journalism, many people reference video, audio, photo, Flash, and any other number of new age instruments for telling a story. But text is sometimes an afterthought. At a session on multimedia storytelling, I came to a sudden realization that as much emphasis as we put on the more visually stunning technology, good text will always be the foundation of any website, news or otherwise.
Text is what pulls in search engines and, in turn, visitors. If they don't like what they are reading, whether it be a story, blog post, or caption, they won't return. Be sure to check your text!
When speaking of multimedia journalism, many people reference video, audio, photo, Flash, and any other number of new age instruments for telling a story. But text is sometimes an afterthought. At a session on multimedia storytelling, I came to a sudden realization that as much emphasis as we put on the more visually stunning technology, good text will always be the foundation of any website, news or otherwise.
Text is what pulls in search engines and, in turn, visitors. If they don't like what they are reading, whether it be a story, blog post, or caption, they won't return. Be sure to check your text!
July 25, 2008 4:47 PM