Why Interactive Matters

By Anthony J. Calabrese

- Updated April 2010

Interactive is more than just a Web 2.0 buzzword heard in failing newsrooms across the country.  It is a way of thinking that is vital to the success of the next generation of writers, reporters, producers, and publishers.

On my first day as a student of interactive journalism at American University, I caused quite a stir in my class. During our introductions, I declared that “this” is what I want to do for the rest of my life.  My goal is to explain to you what “this” is. I want to tell you why “this” matters and I want to show you how thinking interactive can save journalism.

The Future of Journalism Is Interactive

Imagine that one day, you are watching the news and you felt compelled to yell at the TV.  What would you do if the TV shouted back? I would be stunned and surprised.  I imagine that newspapers and other print media were shocked when readers started talking back in real-time.

Interactive forms of communication enable and encourage a two-way conversation. Newspapers can only post a small number of the letters to the editor that they receive.  Talk show hosts can only take so many prescreened calls due to time constraints. Blog comments, traditional social networks, and hybrid services like Twitter and Facebook are allowing a higher level of interaction between reporters, publishers, and readers.

A new frontier lies at the crossroads of advancing technology and diminishing journalism.  I use the word diminishing to emphasize that the quality, quantity, and depth of traditional journalism are in steep decline.  We are entering an age where the giants of yesterday are becoming hollow brand names that lack a robust institutional memory.  

In an uncertain future, there is hope for those who can do more with less. A laptop computer and a digital camera act as force multipliers allowing a single reporter or a small team to do the work of an entire newsroom. Multimedia toolkits enhance the firepower of online journalists.

Interactive media, if done right, may serve as a bridge to a profitable all-digital future. Besides making the impact of stories more real, interactivity can serve as the foundation of a new business model for news that actually works.

At Home Among 1’s and 0’s

In the book Born Digital, the authors John Palfrey and Urs Gasser talk about the differences between generations of tech users.  People who were born in the 1980’s and later are dubbed digital natives.  The creators of much of the infrastructure that we now depend on are called digital immigrants.

I’m not sure that the divide is so clear-cut for everyone as there are people of all ages that either get it or they don’t. Still, I find myself nodding in agreement at a comment on a blog called Recovering Journalist. A commenter riffs off of a 60’s slogan, “Don’t trust anyone over 30 to make your digital product a success.” Too many times, newspapers wind up publishing print in pixels and not content that takes advantage of the full power of the web.

My Story

I straddle the divide between digital native and digital immigrant. I am too old to be a native, but I feel at home among 1’s and 0’s. I must have been hardwired for this because I learned to think “interactive” at an early age.

I attribute this to skateboarding in NYC, writing graffiti, and being a DJ. In all of these art forms, you break the rules and use technology to repurpose an object to meet your needs.

The tools can be wax and a handrail, a marker and a blackbook, or a needle and a record. The outcome is the same. That is exactly what I do now. I use technology to repurpose content to tell stories interactively.

I put this together to show how elements of graffiti, skateboarding, and DJ culture can be applied to the development and growth of interactive media.

The New Printing Press

Anyone can make an interactive slideshow with the right tools and a little patience. The audio is a short sample of a track called “I’m New” by Kutiman. This artist produced a derivative work from samples of hundreds of user-generated YouTube videos.

Make slideshow like this in minutes

A streamlined process makes publishing on the web easier than ever.

1. Find and register for a free publishing service: (Google: blog or slideshow)
2. Upload your content, write your article, attribute your source…
3. Check it for errors and hit publish.
4. Share with the world using social media!

The Fifth Estate?

People like to talk about that gloomy day off in the distant future when newspapers and other forms of traditional media are unable to fulfill their role as the nation’s watchdog.  I’ve got news for you… That day has come and gone. It is unfortunate that entertainers now do a better job of asking the tough questions, reporting facts, and speaking truth to power than the press.

Newsy entertainment shows, bloggers, citizen journalists, and public media are forming a de facto Fifth Estate in response to the failures of the Fourth Estate.

In this video, Jon Stewart, an entertainer and comedian, talks to Walter Isaacson, a journalist and media giant, about the future of newspapers.

The Daily Show With Jon Stewart

The Legacy of Print Lingers Online

The rise of news aggregation sites and online classified pages affects the bottom lines of newspapers and other traditional media companies. A handful of websites are thriving by mimicking the best characteristics of print publications.

The Drudge Report contains very little original content, but it posts breaking news and it features a wide array of news links. This simple site looks like a premillenial link farm. It is laid out like a traditional newspaper front page and it uses provocative headlines to catch your eye. The Drudge Report often drives the media narrative in Washington and boasts millions of page views. What is the secret to its success?

I think that the key is simplicity.

At the same time, online classified sites like Craigslist are attracting a growing number of ads. Since Craigslist does not charge a fee to post ads, newspapers are at a competitive disadvantage.  Craigslist offers a simple site that was looks like it was designed in the mid-90’s.  It is barely Web 1.0 yet it is wildly effective.

A proposed redesign that appeared in Smashing Magazine outlines what Craigslist does right:

• The site itself has a recognizable brand.
• It has a narrow focus. No distractions.
• It is easy to use and easy to post content.
• The site is clean and pages load quickly.

A Simple and Social Solution

Twitter works so well because the idea behind it is so simple.  It asks the user to answer one question: What are you doing. Besides keeping tabs on friends, family, and coworkers Twitter can be used by anyone to report the news.

Far from the worst-case scenario envisioned by Andrew Keen in his book, the Cult of the Amateur, professional news organizations have been scooped by Twitter users who were on the scene first or at the right place at the right time.

It was flexible enough for thousands of users to team up with NPR, CBS, and American University and successfully report on the Inauguration of Barack Obama. This effort also spawned an interactive map and an iPhone application.

Going back to simple for a moment, a service like Posterous would make posting content online quick and easy for journalists and readers. It has the flexibility of Twitter, but it is not limited to the length of a text message. It has integration with many social media sites, so when you hit publish it broadcasts your content to blogs, social networks, and services across the web. All you have to do is write the post title in the subject line, type your message or attach your images, and hit send from any e-mail service.

News can be published in value-added layers. The first layer would be free and feature a basic level of interactivity.

This would include text, links, photos, basic video and audio, wide area geolocation, and a flash teaser. A higher layer would mean higher quality. Premium content would feature high quality photos, high quality video and audio, GPS quality geolocation, and access to a full flash feature.

Premium news items can be sold a la carte for impulse buys (similar to E-Bay’s Buy It Now feature), but access to premium content would be by subscription or membership. The key will be to convince users that your content is worth it.

An effective pitch would minimize the subscription cost by breaking out the fee as a per diem. For example: a subscription fee of $3.65 would be sold as a great deal for just a penny per day. At the same time, the added value of premium content would be emphasized with teasers and rewards for subscribing.

Integrating the news and interactive features with social media is only the first step.

A Penny for Your Thoughts (Or Not)

Would you pay to have your opinion on an important story heard first?

Would you sign up if it were possible to make some money back too?

I’m going there… On second thought, no I’m not…

When I first wrote this last year Twitter had not blown up yet. I realize now how annoying spammy tweets and ads in RSS feeds can be. An open and transparent system for comments is better than a closed ad-like model.

Google has ads on its search results pages and sometimes there are also sponsored links that receive special placement. What if you offered premium comments on blogs and web pages that would receive special placement for one cent. The premium comments could be listed on top of the regular comments feed.

As an added incentive, premium commenters would be able to place their own unique text ad or an AdSense ad at the footer of the comment. Premium comments allow the site publisher to make some revenue while giving users an incentive to turn hot air into spare change.

The infrastructure is already there with services like Disqus spreading across the web. Facebook users and MMORG players already use digital currency to buy and sell virtual items.  Will this help publishers and readers make money or will it lead to flame wars and an avalanche of spam?

Putting Headlines Ahead of Profits

Taking the bottom line out of the equation may preserve the integrity and existence of some newspapers. Dependant on advertisers and soaked in debt, many for profit news corporations are suffering. What if newspapers and other media organizations were able put journalism and their communities first?

There is an alternative to becoming a non-profit organization or going out of business. It is called an L3C, which stands for low-profit limited liability corporation. This new kind of business entity was created by legislation in the State of Vermont. It is a hybrid structure that borrows characteristics from corporations and non-profits. Is this creative capitalism in action?

L3Cs are so new that they have not yet been tested in the field with a news organization. The buzz is increasing online and legislation is pending in several states. The low profit model is something to watch closely as it may yet be the salvation that so many newspapers have been hoping for.