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Cambridge (Mass.) Chronicle reporter Ashley Studley added a layer of digital storytelling to the paper's coverage of a shooting by live-Tweeting a vigil for the victims.
WHAT THEY DID: From managing editor David Harris: "Reporter Ashley Studley and I planned ahead of time for this. We knew there would be a vigil for one of the girls killed in a shootout in Cambridge. We agreed that Ashley would tweet the vigil as it was happening (along with photos and video). We knew we had to be sensitive about it, but we also knew that Cambridge residents wanted to know what's happening.
"While Ashley was attending the vigil, I made sure to embed her tweets in a story in Zope, along with a brief explainer (see how to embed tweets). The tweets didn't serve as a whole story, but that wasn't really the point. It read sort of like a timeline with photos and links to video that Ashley had published using her iPhone."
They also did a main story, with video and photo gallery.
THE TAKEAWAY: Planning is key when covering a big story. Consider bringing all your multimedia storytelling tools, and don't forget to utilize social media as well. Live-Tweeting a big event is absolutely best practices. Make sure your readers know about it by posting a story with a link in your carousel.
GateHouse Media news organizations are finding ways to work corporate strategies for best practices into their websites and newspapers every day. National content development managers Jean Hodges and Sarah Corbitt are on the lookout for your best work, and we'll share it here.
