Journalism 360 No. 4: Lessons From Lookout360°, VR Meets TV, Deadline For Grants

A number of new readers joined us since our last issue — welcome to you all! This newsletter — and the Journalism 360 community more broadly — is a collaborative space where experimentation and knowledge sharing are highly encouraged. If you have ideas or resources to contribute to future issues, send a note to newsletter@journalists.org.

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Noteworthy

Lessons from Lookout360°. Twelve journalists recently completed six months of training and mentorship through Lookout360°, a climate change immersive story accelerator. The 360 video stories they produced take viewers from the Navajo Nation to China to Finland and more. Explore the stories and what they’ve learned so far.

VR meets TV. The TV industry should pay more attention to VR, says Alina Mikhaleva, co-founder of Spherica Production. For VR to go mainstream, we need content produced in mass, in varied genres and accessible to large audiences.

Content to the Indian masses. In 2017, NowHere Media collaborated with Love Matters India to produce “Is This Love? (Kya Yahi Pyar Hai)“, a VR/360 experience on intimate partner violence. Catalina Gomes reflects on lessons from the process, diving into the importance of cross-field partnerships, distribution models and navigating differences in technology capacity.

Community updates

• We’re thrilled to announce the Journalism 360 demo day and mixer on July 24 will be held at VR World NYC, the largest mixed reality destination in North America. VR World features more than 50 experiences in genres such as documentary, music, social impact, gaming and more. You’ll have access to explore the space in addition to seeing demos from Journalism 360 and connecting with other immersive storytellers. Get your tickets!
• Tickets for the Journalism 360 Unconference on July 25 are now sold out, but you can still join the waitlist. Held at the CUNY Graduate School of Journalism, the unconference is a full day of programming on immersive journalism, featuring inspiring conversations, breakout sessions and lightning talks pitched by attendees. 
• The 2018 Journalism 360 Challenge closes on June 28, 11:59 p.m. ET (3:59 a.m. UTC). We’re looking for ideas that help develop and expand best practices in immersive journalism, including narratives, ethics and production. Ten winners will receive up to $20,000 each to build out early-stage projects. Apply now.
• Several Journalism 360 ambassadors are contributing to the next issue of the European Journalism Center’s Conversations with data newsletter, focused on immersive data visualization. Are you curious about this area or already experimenting in it? Tweet your questions @ddjournalism.

We always welcome feedback, links and other inputs to future issues. Send your tips to newsletter@journalists.org.