Category: Digital

Print

• We need to use engaging pictures. If we do not have an interesting photo for an article that will draw readers’ attention, then we should forego the use of a picture for that article.
• Make more use of infographics. Encourage reporters to get interviews and information early so that designers have a chance to create interesting and appealing infographics.
• Don’t rely on standard news stories that feel more like obligations to write dominate the front page. Use whatever might be the most appealing to a reader, not just a Covid test site update.

Online

• This is where much of the breaking news should happen. Updates and very short news should be encouraged here.
• Illustrations could play a much bigger part here than in print. If there are no photos for a story in print, including an illustration at the top of an article online could add some life.
• This could be a place for stories in progress because they can be continually updated. Instead of sitting on stories that might take weeks to write, they could be published here in installments or as updates to a story.
• Online is a great place for interaction. I really like the idea of using sound from interviews, and it is totally feasible as we record all of our interviews anyway.
• Other ways to engage readers could be through interactive diagrams. Might not be realistic to create an interactive infographic for weekly stories, but stories that take longer to write could be benefitted by this.

Social Media

• A lot here is the same as online, but might work even better with breaking news.
• Make use of extremely small window that users look at our posts while scrolling. Very short news updates are great here.
• This is the worst possible place for a boring photo. Illustrations and infographics should be used here liberally if there is not an interesting photo
• Could use this as a platform to get people interested in the DI by acting more energetic. A lot of our posts come off to me as a little boring and trying hard to be hyper-professional

Print

• We need more attention-grabbing photos that ACTUALLY help tell a story, especially on the front page. Or we need to be more comfortable with having no photo/graphic attached to a story.
• More infographics, especially in sports, that enhance a story or replace a story to tell it in a better way
• Better-reported stories: Stop rushing stories that aren’t fully done! Obviously, we have to fill space and stories fall through, but rushing what could be a really interesting, new story to fill space is not the answer!
• Variation in layout design that grabs the reader’s attention: good balance of text and art

Online

• Updated versions of stories AND breaking news that is published right away. 
• “Casual” types of art like memes (Spongebob meme) – more relatable student content
• Photo galleries or photo essays to better tell a story (protests)
  • Or just photo galleries from a newspaper story where we couldn’t add more than one or two photos to
• Video + audio – provides readers a unique way to consume news through a newspaper – could lead to better page viewership/following

Social media

• Reader interaction: Twitter/Facebook polls, Instagram stories – let people share their opinion(even if you don’t agree)
• BREAKING NEWS!!! (cannot stress this enough) 
  • Tweet about the breaking while getting brief up – sometimes it takes a while for breaking news briefs to get published so tweeting it lets your following know you’re on the story
• Gifs, short videos, memes, interview audio – the younger generations don’t want to read a lot – give them something visual 
• Infographics (might have to format differently than infographics in the paper)

• Print
  • Enticing layouts, especially for pages like Features. This could also potentially expand to other sections. A1/A3 can probably use a bit of re-vamp as well, considering the repetitive content
  • Better art overall.
    • More of our own photos, I realize the paper can become quite boring when it’s just a bunch of submitted photos. It’s so exciting to get great photos of our own (which I know should be the norm)
  • Simpler, easier to understand, more useful infographics/breakout boxes
  • Don’t fear white space, utilize it!
    • I’d like to explore different ways of going about this
  • Don’t be afraid to not use art, or not have a story attached to art. Let art stand alone, let the story stand alone. Break away from what we know.

• Online
  • This could also be a good spot for memes, especially when the online articles are shared on socials
  • Good variety of text, photos, and combinations of the two
  • Constantly update these rather than just specific times of the week\
  • Interactive photos/articles
    • The early voting map could have been interactive, but I’m honestly unsure of how to approach this
• Social Media
  • More interactive content
  • Polls that allow people to give their input
    • People mostly feel like their opinions are important and might want to vote on polls or give feedback when asked
  • Like we discussed in class, memes can be used for social
    • Considering the demographic of Gen Z, this could up our engagement a lot.
  • Photos or graphics specifically formatted for social
    • Get a person who is aware of how this works and who could export or reformat things to fit the square format of Instagram or the rectangular formats of Twitter or Facebook