Journalism 360 No. 8: Call For Contributors, Open Standards, Magical Design

We’re looking for guest contributors to this newsletter. Want to share your thoughts on an immersive journalism topic? What insights or lessons can you offer that would support other storytellers and newsrooms leaders in this community to do greater work?

We’re especially keen to continue conversations from the Journalism 360 Unconference, including but not limited to questions around ethics, access and accessibility, UX design and creative partnerships.

The unconference was a fantastic, inspiring gathering — and true to our mission, it’s not an isolated learning experience. We will continue to facilitate learning and knowledge sharing within this community, inviting questions and big ideas as well as diving into practical tips for storytelling experiments.

Write a note to newsletter@journalists.org about the ideas you want to contribute.

P.S.: Unconference attendees, we want to hear about your experience at the event. Complete the feedback survey by Aug. 16 and enter the drawing for a chance to win an Insta360 camera.

Noteworthy

Open standards. Ultimately, the ability to produce stories on an open web, with open-source tools, is about controlling the progress that VR, AR and 360 creators can make.

Digital futures. Journalism 360 Director Laura Hertzfeld was quoted in a Comstock piece about McClatchy’s “digital turn,” saying: “If we don’t invest [in emerging technology], we will never know if there is a revenue-earning potential.” This weekend, dive into this longread that reflects on McClatchy’s 161-year legacy and why the company is betting on immersive video.

Magical designing. IrisVR’s Sneha Kesha shares her thoughts on designing for emerging technology, from her process for understanding what the audience needs to conducting small design experiments in search of the right “combination of familiarity and magic.”

Songbird. “The fabled ʻōʻō (songbird) was last seen in 1985.” Go back in time, in virtual reality, to learn about one of Hawaii’s magnificent birds. 

Exhibit experience. The Journalism 360 exhibit at VR World closes Aug. 31. If you’re in New York City, don’t miss this opportunity to explore inspiring work such as the SceneVR app, “Damming the Nile” from the BBC and the Dataverses tool by the Outliers Collective.

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