Page 99 - Convergent Journalism an Introduction Writing and Producing Across Media

One Story, Multiple Graphics

accompanied by interactive graphics presented on the paper’s online
interactive graphics gallery called, “The Edge” (see http://www.sun-
sentinel.com/broadband/theedge). When a “News Illustrated” graphic
runs in the paper, readers are encouraged to visit the Web site to see the
related multimedia graphic (see Figure 6.6). According to Sun-Sentinel
graphics director Don Wittekind, most of the multimedia efforts at the
paper are extensions of major print projects. “While multimedia was
once an afterthought, it’s now discussed seriously in the earliest plan-
ning meetings,” he says. “This has actually raised my department’s stress
level a little, because where I once judged each project and decided
whether I wanted to get graphics involved, I no longer have that option.
I can now expect the managing editor to turn to me and say, ‘So what
are we doing for the multimedia component?’”

One Story, Multiple Graphics

The field of information graphics reporting is still pretty strongly rooted
in newspaper newsrooms. Most television stations still don’t include
graphics departments in the newsroom, and few online staffs have 89
individuals whose sole responsibility is graphics reporting. Graphics
reporters employed by the newspaper produce most multimedia
Figure 6.6 Graphics
published on the
Sun-Sentinel’s
interactive gallery,
“The Edge,” often
contain similar
information to that of
the print graphics.
However, due to the
nature of the Web,
online graphics can
often go where print
cannot. This
multilayered graphic
allows a user (a) to
explore the mummy
scanning process and
(b) to see animations
of the external and
internal portions of a
mummy. (Courtesy of
South Florida
(a) Sun-Sentinel.)