In January 2017, The New York Times embarked into a journey of making stories easier to consume on mobile devices. Those were baby steps. After all, it wasn’t then and it still is not easy to abandon traditional journalistic formats. Many journalists still rely on the 5Ws for the lead paragraph of their stories. Most still create stories for print consumption—which means long texts and only photos as visual possibilities. Those are characteristics of traditionally written journalistic stories that have little to do with new genre of linear mobile storytelling, where stories weave text narratives with visual assets.
Today, more editors are interested in developing linear storytelling, as they know that 80% or more of their readers consume stories on mobile platforms, primarily on their phones.
This requires a totally different and new set of skills. Journalists need to become visual thinkers who conceptualize stories that appeal to more than just the brain and the eye. Today’s journalists learn from cinematographers, and learn to use audio and video as key components in the storytelling process.
The characteristics of linear storytelling
- Linear stories usually begin with a video or some other form of animation, since more users will continue past the first screen when there is an element of motion at the start of the story. Think video!
- Linear stories combine text and visual assets.
- Visual assets are anything that is not text, as in video, photos, highlighted quotes, embedded social media elements, and even audio.
- Linear stories emphasize segmentation of elements in the story, to facilitate internal navigation.
The New York Times’ China/Taiwan story
This piece in the August 25, 2023 edition of the Times is one of the best examples of linear storytelling. It is one of those pieces that I save to show my Columbia University students for excellence in the craft of linear, mobile storytelling.
Four characteristics that make this story an excellent example:
- The story engages from the start: notice that the beginning is a summary of the essence of the story: how China could choke Taiwan through a variety of moves that would probably paralyze the island country. If a reader only gets through these few introductory screens, he/she knows the main elements of the story. Isn’t that what the old traditional 5Ws intended to do?
- For this introduction, the editors opted for the roll over technique, weaving text and visuals in a strong embrace that comes together to let the visuals and the words tell the story
- The real narrative of the story, what would be the traditional start, begins after the visual introduction. We already know what the story is about before we read the first paragraph:
For decades, Beijing has had its sights on Taiwan, the self-governing island that China claims as its own. It has built up the People’s Liberation Army with the goal of ultimately taking Taiwan, if efforts to unify peacefully fail. It has modernized its forces, developing the world’s largest navy, which now challenges American supremacy in the seas around Taiwan.
- Because this is a long read (more than 3000 words), subheads are used to create internal navigation.
Recent mobile stories in TheMarioBlog
https://www.khaleejtimes.com/food/how-dubai-graduated-from-starbucks-to-artisan-coffee
https://www.khaleejtimes.com/spotlight/vinyl-forever-are-lp-records-here-to-stay-in-the-uae
Of related interest: our previous posts about mobile storytelling
http://garciamedia.com/wp-admin/post.php?post=21130&action=edit
http://garciamedia.com/wp-admin/post.php?post=21130&action=edit
Garcia Media mobile storytelling
For the complete guide to mobile storytelling: The Story
I urge you to consult my latest book, The Story, a trilogy full of tips and explanations about mobile storytelling, which represents the latest genre for journalists to explore. See information below:
The full trilogy of The Story now available–3 books to guide you through a mobile first strategy. Whether you’re a reporter, editor, designer, publisher, corporate communicator, The Story is for you! https://amazon
TheMarioBlog post # 3352
Garcia Media mobile storytelling
For the complete guide to mobile storytelling: The Story
I urge you to consult my latest book, The Story, a trilogy full of tips and explanations about mobile storytelling, which represents the latest genre for journalists to explore. See information below:
The full trilogy of The Story now available–3 books to guide you through a mobile first strategy. Whether you’re a reporter, editor, designer, publisher, corporate communicator, The Story is for you! https://amazon
TheMarioBlog post # 3353