Over the past decade, journalists have created in-depth interactive narratives to provide an alternative to the relentless 24-hour news cycle. Combining different media forms, such as text, audio, video, and data visualisation with the interactive possibilities of digital media, these narratives involve users in the narrative in new ways. In journalism studies, the convergence of different media forms in this manner has gained significant attention. However, interactivity as part of this form has been left underappreciated. In this study, we scrutinise how navigational structure, expressed as navigational cues, shapes user agency in their individual explorations of the narrative. By approaching interactive narratives as story spaces with unique interactive architectures, in this article, we reconstruct the architecture of five Dutch interactive narratives using the walkthrough method. We find that the extensiveness of the interactive architectures can be described on a continuum between closed and open navigational structures that predetermine and thus shape users’ trajectories in diverse ways.
With the rise of innovation and entrepreneurship as avenues for journalists to take in their search for journalistic work, we need to critically interrogate how these terms are understood. Various journalism institutions are pushing a particular understanding of journalism, and of what constitutes meaningful and innovative journalism. In this paper, we review the literature on these themes and draw on experimental research done by one of the authors to argue for a more process-oriented approach to journalistic innovation and entrepreneurship. As a researcher-maker, one of the authors created an innovative journalistic project and tried to develop a business model for this project. She participated in an accelerator process organised by one of the main funds aimed at journalism innovation in the Netherlands. We show that one existing, and prevalent, understanding of innovation in journalism is one that is linear, rational and outcome-oriented. We challenge this understanding and draw on process-oriented theories of innovation to introduce the concepts of effectuation, improvisation and becoming as new lenses to reconsider these phenomena. These concepts provide clearer insight into the passionate and improvisational nature of doing innovative journalistic work.
Worden ‘echte’ journalisten overbodig? Kunnen hun taken niet net zo goed vervuld worden door bloggers of lezers die usergenerated content aanleveren: tekst, filmpjes, foto’s – iedereen loopt immers met een volledig uitgeruste smartphone rond? We hebben toch “16 miljoen reporters” volgens Skoeps (2008) en iedereen is toch journalist (Deuze, 2006)? Daarnaast maken media gebruik van wat onnozele gebruikers achterlaten op Facebook, Hyves of MySpace. Er is zoveel nieuws dat je alleen maar iemand nodig hebt om te knippen en te plakken: cut ’n’ paste journalism. Dat nieuws duikt overal op, Britney Spears en Paris Hilton vinden we net zo makkelijk bij nrc.nl als bij nu.nl, een website waar de journalisten – alle vier – zich uitsluitend bezighouden met het online zetten van nieuws van anderen: shovelware. De traditionele journalistieke poortwachter die op basis van strenge criteria selecteert, kan vervangen worden door de administratieve gatewatcher
