Multimedia journalism

Globe&Mail has wowed me!

While looking through my daily feeds and blogs, I have recently noticed one name time and again: Globe&Mail. Needless to say, GlobeAndMail.com is definitely on a roll.

My personal favorite is a package on mental disabilities, titled, “Breakdown: Canada’s Mental Health Crisis.” In intimate videos and text stories, they detail four diseases: bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, anxiety disorder and obsessive compulsive disorder.

“One in five Canadians will experience a mental illness in his or her lifetime. It is a pervasive presence in almost all of our lives. And yet we rarely speak of it,” writes Globe and Mail editor-in-chief Edward Greenspon. WOW.

More moving than the written stories, or the videos, is the outreach capabilities that the Globe&Mail gave it’s users to join this serious conversation and share their story. There is a facebook group, and user-submitted photos and stories. Reading their stories is heart-breaking. They just want to be heard without being judged, while at the same time being able to read endless accounts of others just like them to help them realize they are not alone. What an excellent avenue of communication to help their readers relate to their story. There are easily more than 100 submissions, each of significant length detailing their own excruciating story of depression and illness. I love how journalism done well and powerful story telling can spark such immense conversation in a manner that helps their readers and others. This reminds me why I love what I do …

One project that has gotten a lot of notice is “The son who vanished.” People on del.ici.ous ask, “Does it keep the reader longer?” This brings up a good point. Granted, this is an excellent way to break free from the tight boundaries of linear audio slide shows that prevent interactivity. Yes, this is an audio slide show, but it allows for interactivity by allowing the user to click through the story as he/she chooses. When I first saw it, I was very impressed. Now, I have to admit that I am on the fence. If a person clicks through it at random, will they get the same experience as a person that watches it in a linear fashion (such as myself)? Granted, I clicked around afterward since I am a Flash nerd to think about the behind-the-scenes coding, but in order to “experience” the story, I sat for 10 minutes without touching the mouse. So, in my case, it did keep the “reader” longer (viewer, to be more politically correct) … but did it add to the storytelling to allow this option? I could be swayed … Either way, they still get my vote for innovation efforts!

Make sure to bookmark their multimedia page to keep up-to-date with their latest multimedia projects. I’ve already fallen behind because I’ve only taken a peek at their “Talking to the Taliban” package, which, I’m sure, is another must-see. I will save that for another night …

Thanks Globe&Mail for concentrating your efforts on stories that are obviously impacting untold numbers and creating ripple effects throughout the multimedia world. Kudos to you!

Other posts that might interest you:

• Globe and Mail leaves me speechless with “Behind the Veil”
• Emotional print and online story explores a mysterious, rare disease
• Bombay Flying Club launches Wasteland

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