What's so different about storytelling for online news?

Storytelling for the online medium has its own unique characteristics. The clear trend in Online News is that “print” sites are becoming more visual, and broadcast sites are using more print. But eventually this will give way to more visually driven storytelling on ALL news websites, which is why broadcasters and those of us who can tell stories visually have a huge advantage.

The question is, what will it look like? Visual language and effective storytelling for the online medium is still being invented (remember: online is still in the Charlie Chaplin days... and probably the Charlie Chaplin figure is out there right now figuring it all out...)

But we already know the online news audience has some very specific expectations including:

• Stories that are “authentic” (not polished)
• Personal (not strictly journalistic)
• Non-traditional formats (such as raw material and primary sources)
• Stories that provoke engagement and comment (known as “interactivity”)
• Stories that are easily changed or added to
• Stories that are easily shared and linked to other platforms

Counter to the perfectionist storytelling methods of good broadcast journalism, an unpolished, “human” approach to visual storytelling is a common pattern in successful web videos; “stories that reflect real behavior in the real world.”

Consistent with the community-based nature of the Internet itself, web viewers are more interested in what is being produced by other people, just like them. Web video makers succeed when they focus on real people - “authenticity” over perfection.