So what is a multimedia story? I must admit I did not completely understand multimedia reporting either before Journalism 2.0 class on Monday. Essentially, a multimedia story is combination of text, pictures, videos, audio, graphics, and interactivity presented on a website in a nonlinear format (the user chooses how to navigate through the elements of the story) in which the information in each medium is complementary, not redundant.
There are two types of multimedia stories, one in which the reporter puts the story together, goes into the field, and gathers multimedia clips and pictures and audio. The other involves an editor or producer who determines which stories should be analyzed in a multimedia format. He or she has a story in his or her head and decides how to assemble it. The editor assigns work to different professionals, a photographer, a reporter, a videographer, and a graphic artist, to put together the story in his or her head.
In a few days I will post my own version of a multimedia story, but until then there are a ton of multimedia stories to check out online, such as this one on medical professionals from Duke traveling to Nicaragua, Touching Hearts. Another incredibly cool multimedia story on the US criminal justice system is set up in an ingenious way.
Just as these multimedia stories provide all of the layers of the onion, the story on the US criminal justice system, called 360 Degrees, provides all of the information on the subject in the circle, and you get to highlight a section to find out a tiny summary about what it includes, and then just click the part of the circle that you would like to learn more about. What is so clever about this setup is that the most specific and detailed information, the individual stories from the inside, is in the center of the circle, with the broader information on the outside. Though I was previously not particularly interested in reading about the US criminal justice system, this enticing layout really drew me in and made me want to learn more. I suggest you check it out here!
One of my favorite parts of multimedia stories are the interactive maps. I find them to be informative in that spatial references are of great benefit in understanding many news stories.
The map above depicts the 5,700 Americans that lost their lives in Iraq and Afghanistan. With this map you can get a bigger picture of the lives of these men and women through highlighting each one to discover photos, information on how they died, the ability to go to memorial websites with comments from families and friends, and the opportunity to explore their home and their place of death. I find Map the Fallen to be a particularly moving memorial and encourage you to check it out.
Multimedia stories put typical news stories to shame with the way their interactivity excites the reader, and lets the reader choose what they want to know, and in what order they want to learn it in. This exciting wave of journalism inspires me to get on board and try to create a multimedia story of my own.
And for any aspiring journalists out there looking to get their multimedia story published, here is a great guide by Chrys Wu. His blog is a wonderful resource for journalists.
Style in Spain 
Thanks for explaining what multi media stories are. I also loved the map.
I hope you do create a multimedia story of your own. You write so clearly and with such enthusiasm that it’s sure to be a great read!