{"id":16080,"date":"2025-09-12T12:53:46","date_gmt":"2025-09-12T12:53:46","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/niemanstoryboard.org\/?p=16080"},"modified":"2025-09-12T12:53:47","modified_gmt":"2025-09-12T12:53:47","slug":"technology-still-demands-a-story","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/niemanstoryboard.org\/2025\/09\/12\/technology-still-demands-a-story\/","title":{"rendered":"Technology still demands a story"},"content":{"rendered":"    \n    <div class=\"  core-block\">\n        <div class=\"block block--core block--core-paragraph mb-5   max-w-screen-full mx-auto\">\n            \n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/niemanstoryboard.org\/about\/subscribe-to-nieman-storyboard\/\"><em>Sign up for the Nieman Storyboard newsletter,<\/em><\/a><em>&nbsp;delivered every Friday in your inbox.<\/em><\/p>\n\n        <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n    \n    <div class=\"  core-block\">\n        <div class=\"block block--core block--core-classic mb-5   max-w-screen-full mx-auto\">\n            \n\n\n        <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n    \n    <div class=\"  core-block\">\n        <div class=\"block block--core block--core-paragraph mb-5   max-w-screen-full mx-auto\">\n            \n<p class=\"has-text-align-center\">***<\/p>\n\n        <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n    \n    <div class=\"  core-block\">\n        <div class=\"block block--core block--core-classic mb-5   max-w-screen-full mx-auto\">\n            \n\n\n        <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n    \n    <div class=\"  core-block\">\n        <div class=\"block block--core block--core-paragraph mb-5   max-w-screen-full mx-auto\">\n            \n<p class=\"has-drop-cap\">Dear Storyboard community,&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n        <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n    \n    <div class=\"  core-block\">\n        <div class=\"block block--core block--core-classic mb-5   max-w-screen-full mx-auto\">\n            \n\n\n        <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n    \n    <div class=\"  core-block\">\n        <div class=\"block block--core block--core-paragraph mb-5   max-w-screen-full mx-auto\">\n            \n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/projects\/2012\/snow-fall\/index.html#\/?part=tunnel-creek\">&#8220;Snow Fall&#8221;<\/a> was published 13 years ago.<\/p>\n\n        <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n    \n    <div class=\"  core-block\">\n        <div class=\"block block--core block--core-classic mb-5   max-w-screen-full mx-auto\">\n            \n\n\n        <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n    \n    <div class=\"  core-block\">\n        <div class=\"block block--core block--core-paragraph mb-5   max-w-screen-full mx-auto\">\n            \n<p>I remember being awestruck when I opened my browser to discover the ambitious and visually stunning multimedia story, reported by <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/by\/john-branch\">John Branch<\/a> for The New York Times, about a deadly avalanche in Washington state. Through a video loop of a barren stretch of mountainside, and animated 3D renderings of the Cascade mountain range, readers were transported to the Stevens Pass ski area, where a 2012 avalanche killed three skiers.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n        <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n    \n    <div class=\"  core-block\">\n        <div class=\"block block--core block--core-classic mb-5   max-w-screen-full mx-auto\">\n            \n\n\n        <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n    \n    <div class=\"  core-block\">\n        <div class=\"block block--core block--core-paragraph mb-5   max-w-screen-full mx-auto\">\n            \n<p>The story <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2022\/12\/23\/insider\/snow-fall-at-10-how-it-changed-journalism.html\">won both a Peabody Award and Pulitzer Prize<\/a>, and kicked off a new era in interactive longform storytelling. Dazzling layouts and interactive visuals would signal to the reader (or viewer or listener) that this story was worth your time and attention.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n        <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n    \n    <div class=\"  core-block\">\n        <div class=\"block block--core block--core-classic mb-5   max-w-screen-full mx-auto\">\n            \n\n\n        <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n    \n    <div class=\"  core-block\">\n        <div class=\"block block--core block--core-paragraph mb-5   max-w-screen-full mx-auto\">\n            \n<p>Not everyone was a fan of the growing trend \u2014 at what point do visual elements cross over from complementing the story to becoming a distraction? \u2014 but with every new technology and innovation, the possibilities for storytelling, and connecting with audiences, expands.&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n        <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n    \n    <div class=\"  core-block\">\n        <div class=\"block block--core block--core-classic mb-5   max-w-screen-full mx-auto\">\n            \n\n\n        <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n    \n    <div class=\"  core-block\">\n        <div class=\"block block--core block--core-paragraph mb-5   max-w-screen-full mx-auto\">\n            \n<p>When I discovered the recent story, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.newyorker.com\/news\/as-told-to\/a-mother-and-her-trans-teen-decide-to-leave-the-us\">\u201cThere&#8217;s No Place at Home: A Mother and Her Trans Teen Decide to Leave the U.S.\u201d<\/a> I had an awestruck feeling similar to the \u201cSnow Fall\u201d moment. Here, the visuals and technology are not only complementing the written story, but they are central to its telling. It was a storytelling challenge: How do you illuminate the story of a mother and her trans teenager and their impending difficult decision, and how do you visually illustrate their lives while also being sensitive to their privacy and anonymity?&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n        <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n    \n    <div class=\"  core-block\">\n        <div class=\"block block--core block--core-classic mb-5   max-w-screen-full mx-auto\">\n            \n\n\n        <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n    \n    <div class=\"  core-block\">\n        <div class=\"block block--core block--core-paragraph mb-5   max-w-screen-full mx-auto\">\n            \n<p>What appear to be constraints actually open up the piece to immense creativity, thanks to the vision of its author <a href=\"https:\/\/www.samwolson.com\/\">Sam Wolson<\/a>, the Interactives Visual Features Editor at The New Yorker, and <a href=\"https:\/\/niemanstoryboard.org\/2025\/09\/11\/new-yorker-sam-wolson-interactive-storytelling\/\">my latest guest on the Nieman Storyboard podcast<\/a>.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n        <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n    \n    <div class=\"  core-block\">\n        <div class=\"block block--core block--core-classic mb-5   max-w-screen-full mx-auto\">\n            \n\n\n        <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n    \n    <div class=\"  core-block\">\n        <div class=\"block block--core block--core-paragraph mb-5   max-w-screen-full mx-auto\">\n            \n<p>Wolson started his career as a photographer and documentary filmmaker, and his work now spans interactive multimedia and virtual reality. He&#8217;s won an Emmy Award and a Peabody Award for his work with The New Yorker, and his projects have also been featured in The New York Times and National Geographic.<\/p>\n\n        <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n    \n    <div class=\"  core-block\">\n        <div class=\"block block--core block--core-classic mb-5   max-w-screen-full mx-auto\">\n            \n\n\n        <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n    \n    <div class=\"  core-block\">\n        <div class=\"block block--core block--core-paragraph mb-5   max-w-screen-full mx-auto\">\n            \n<p>When it comes to exploring new forms and technology, Wolson says the story must dictate the form and the finished product:&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n        <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n    \n    <div class=\"  core-block\">\n        <div class=\"block block--core block--core-classic mb-5   max-w-screen-full mx-auto\">\n            \n\n\n        <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n    \n    <div class=\"  core-block\">\n        <div class=\"block block--core block--core-quote mb-5   max-w-screen-full mx-auto\">\n            \n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">    \n    <div class=\"  core-block\">\n        <div class=\"block block--core block--core-paragraph mb-5   max-w-screen-full mx-auto\">\n            \n<p>\u201cIt&#8217;s got to come from the material. I think this is often the problem sometimes [with] people who work in frontier technology spaces. They&#8217;re like, \u2018Oh, we have this amazing tool. Let&#8217;s find something to shove into this tool,\u2019 right? And you end up often with [a] sort of tech demo. I&#8217;m being very harsh, but I&#8217;m so driven by the story and the ideas as the starting point, that it&#8217;s got to be the guiding light.\u201d<\/p>\n\n        <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n        <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n    \n    <div class=\"  core-block\">\n        <div class=\"block block--core block--core-classic mb-5   max-w-screen-full mx-auto\">\n            \n\n\n        <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n    \n    <div class=\"  core-block\">\n        <div class=\"block block--core block--core-heading   max-w-screen-full mx-auto\">\n            \n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><a href=\"https:\/\/niemanstoryboard.org\/2025\/09\/11\/new-yorker-sam-wolson-interactive-storytelling\/\">The New Yorker\u2019s Sam Wolson on interactive storytelling about a mother and her trans teenager leaving the U.S.<\/a><\/h2>\n\n        <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n    \n    <div class=\"  core-block\">\n        <div class=\"block block--core block--core-classic mb-5   max-w-screen-full mx-auto\">\n            \n\n\n        <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">    \n    <div class=\"  core-block\">\n        <div class=\"block block--core block--core-image mb-5   max-w-screen-full mx-auto\">\n            \n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-full is-resized\"><a href=\"https:\/\/niemanstoryboard.org\/2025\/09\/11\/new-yorker-sam-wolson-interactive-storytelling\/\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1000\" height=\"953\" src=\"https:\/\/niemanstoryboard.org\/app\/uploads\/2025\/09\/Wolson_Headshot.jpeg\" alt=\"The New Yorker's Sam Wolson\" class=\"wp-image-16063\" style=\"width:600px;height:auto\" srcset=\"https:\/\/niemanstoryboard.org\/app\/uploads\/2025\/09\/Wolson_Headshot.jpeg 1000w, https:\/\/niemanstoryboard.org\/app\/uploads\/2025\/09\/Wolson_Headshot-300x286.jpeg 300w, https:\/\/niemanstoryboard.org\/app\/uploads\/2025\/09\/Wolson_Headshot-768x732.jpeg 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px\" \/><\/a><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">The New Yorker&#8217;s Sam Wolson<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n        <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n<\/div>    \n    <div class=\"  core-block\">\n        <div class=\"block block--core block--core-classic mb-5   max-w-screen-full mx-auto\">\n            \n\n\n        <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n    \n    <div class=\"  core-block\">\n        <div class=\"block block--core block--core-paragraph mb-5   max-w-screen-full mx-auto\">\n            \n<p>The Interactives Visual Features Editor discusses the intersection of VR, interactive design, documentary work, and reporting. <\/p>\n\n        <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n    \n    <div class=\"  core-block\">\n        <div class=\"block block--core block--core-classic mb-5   max-w-screen-full mx-auto\">\n            \n\n\n        <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n    \n    <div class=\"  core-block\">\n        <div class=\"block block--core block--core-paragraph mb-5   max-w-screen-full mx-auto\">\n            \n<p class=\"has-text-align-center\"><strong>[ <a href=\"https:\/\/niemanstoryboard.org\/2025\/09\/11\/new-yorker-sam-wolson-interactive-storytelling\/\">Read the story<\/a> ] <\/strong><\/p>\n\n        <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n    \n    <div class=\"  core-block\">\n        <div class=\"block block--core block--core-classic mb-5   max-w-screen-full mx-auto\">\n            \n\n\n        <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n    \n    <div class=\"  core-block\">\n        <div class=\"block block--core block--core-html mb-5   max-w-screen-full mx-auto\">\n            \n<div id=\"buzzsprout-player-17818698\"><\/div><script src=\"https:\/\/www.buzzsprout.com\/2449998\/episodes\/17818698-the-new-yorker-s-sam-wolson-on-interactive-storytelling-about-a-mother-and-her-trans-teenager-leaving-the-u-s.js?container_id=buzzsprout-player-17818698&#038;player=small\" type=\"text\/javascript\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script>\n\n        <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n    \n    <div class=\"  core-block\">\n        <div class=\"block block--core block--core-classic mb-5   max-w-screen-full mx-auto\">\n            \n\n\n        <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n    \n    <div class=\"  core-block\">\n        <div class=\"block block--core block--core-paragraph mb-5   max-w-screen-full mx-auto\">\n            \n<p class=\"has-text-align-center\"><strong>[ Follow us in <a href=\"https:\/\/podcasts.apple.com\/us\/podcast\/nieman-storyboard\/id1804505440\">Apple Podcasts<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/open.spotify.com\/show\/4cN4SOwf5Am05PoA9wckcA\">Spotify<\/a>, or your <a href=\"https:\/\/niemanstoryboard.buzzsprout.com\/2449998\/episodes\">favorite podcast app<\/a>. ]<\/strong><\/p>\n\n        <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n    \n    <div class=\"  core-block\">\n        <div class=\"block block--core block--core-classic mb-5   max-w-screen-full mx-auto\">\n            \n\n\n        <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n    \n    <div class=\"  core-block\">\n        <div class=\"block block--core block--core-heading   max-w-screen-full mx-auto\">\n            \n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Links of note<\/h2>\n\n        <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n    \n    <div class=\"  core-block\">\n        <div class=\"block block--core block--core-classic mb-5   max-w-screen-full mx-auto\">\n            \n\n\n        <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n    <div class=\"\">\n        <div class=\"block block--core block--core-list mb-4 list max-w-screen-full mx-auto pl-5 \">\n            \n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>At The Writing Shed, the wonderful Tommy Tomlinson <a href=\"https:\/\/tommytomlinson.substack.com\/p\/simple-and-clear\">revisits his Nieman Storyboard essay about seeking simplicity and clarity in our writing<\/a>. &#8220;It can be harder to write a short story than a long one, and it can be much harder to write with simple words than with complicated ones. Most every good writer knows words that soar on silver wings. But sometimes those words fly off into the clouds and the reader loses track of the story. I like words that work for a living.&#8221;&nbsp;<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>In the Columbia Journalism Review, <a href=\"https:\/\/journalism.berkeley.edu\/person\/lisa-armstrong\/\">Lisa Armstrong<\/a> writes about \u201c<a href=\"https:\/\/www.cjr.org\/analysis\/when-neutrality-is-a-constraint.php\">When Neutrality Is a Constraint<\/a>.\u201d The role of journalists is not to provide information in a vacuum, Armstrong writes, \u201cbut to add context, history, solutions, and critical analysis.\u201d (via <a href=\"https:\/\/www.erikahayasaki.com\/\">Erika Hayasaki<\/a>)<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>How does Terry Gross do it? Philadelphia magazine <a href=\"https:\/\/www.phillymag.com\/news\/2025\/09\/05\/fresh-air-terry-gross-oral-history\/\">celebrates 50 years of &#8220;Fresh Air&#8221; with an oral history<\/a>, in which the longtime host talks about telling a story through interviews. \u201cThere\u2019s a whole lot of information, and I want to organize that into some kind of narrative structure so that the questions and answers build on each other. But if somebody leads me in an interesting area or tells me something I didn\u2019t know, I\u2019m going to follow them. But I always have something to come back to. I have a structure in mind that I\u2019m welcome to throw away.\u201d<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>\u201c<a href=\"https:\/\/transom.org\/2025\/fill-your-pockets-with-endings\/\">Fill your pockets with endings.<\/a>\u201d At <a href=\"http:\/\/transom.org\">Transom.org<\/a>, Rob Rosenthal speaks to \u201dPlanet Money\u201c correspondent Robert Smith about all the different ways to end an audio story.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n        <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n    \n    <div class=\"  core-block\">\n        <div class=\"block block--core block--core-classic mb-5   max-w-screen-full mx-auto\">\n            \n\n\n        <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n    \n    <div class=\"  core-block\">\n        <div class=\"block block--core block--core-paragraph mb-5   max-w-screen-full mx-auto\">\n            \n<p>The future of storytelling can be found in your next sentence. Keep sharing your stories,&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n        <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n    \n    <div class=\"  core-block\">\n        <div class=\"block block--core block--core-classic mb-5   max-w-screen-full mx-auto\">\n            \n\n\n        <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n    \n    <div class=\"  core-block\">\n        <div class=\"block block--core block--core-paragraph mb-5   max-w-screen-full mx-auto\">\n            \n<p>Mark Armstrong<br><a href=\"https:\/\/nieman.harvard.edu\/mark-armstrong-named-editor-of-nieman-storyboard\/\">Editor<\/a><br>Nieman Storyboard<br><a href=\"https:\/\/niemanstoryboard.buzzsprout.com\/\">Follow the Nieman Storyboard Podcast<\/a>&nbsp;<br>On Bluesky: <a href=\"https:\/\/bsky.app\/profile\/did:plc:nejd5yomd3xtdcdg267bqim5\">@niemanstoryboard.org<\/a><\/p>\n\n        <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n    \n    <div class=\"  core-block\">\n        <div class=\"block block--core block--core-classic mb-5   max-w-screen-full mx-auto\">\n            \n\n\n        <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n<div class=\"block block-subscribe full-width\">\n            <h2 class=\"subscribe-title\">Subscribe to Storyboard<\/h2>\n        \n            <div class=\"subscribe-content\">\n            <p>Get insights into the craft of journalism and storytelling in your inbox, delivered on Fridays.<!-- wp:spacer {\"height\":\"39px\"} --><\/p>\n\n        <\/div>\n    \n                <div class=\"subscribe-embed\">\n                            <div class=\"mt-5\">\n                 <div translate=\"no\" class='mailmunch-forms-widget-1154494'><\/div>\n\n                <\/div>\n               \n                    <\/div>\n    \n<\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Sam Wolson on finding the right medium for the right story. Plus: Terry Gross on 50 years of \u2018Fresh Air\u2019 and using narrative structure in interviews<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":6,"featured_media":16084,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[427,471,419,472,473],"topics":[],"authors":[410],"issue":[],"class_list":["post-16080","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-from-the-editor","tag-documentary","tag-interactive","tag-new-yorker","tag-virtual-reality","tag-vr","authors-mark-armstrong"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.5 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Technology still demands a story - Nieman Storyboard<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Sam Wolson on finding the right medium for the right story. 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