US: Sacramento Bee sets example for multimedia investigative reporting

Leonard Witt at Public Journalism Network pleads for "academics, critics, the industry, journalists and citizens all to start producing ideas for the future of journalism that will guarantee its rightful place in a functioning democracy."

Witt refers to the We Media and Participatory Journalism movements, which some think are meant to "save journalism," asking why don't we use this "collective action to ensure we have quality journalism as the digital dynamics change its delivery systems?"

Some have said that these evolving media themselves will be the savior of journalism. But Dan Gillmor, author of "We the Media: Grassroots Journalism by the People, for the People," argues that society still needs Big Media to finance the dirty work.

He points to one piece of investigative journalism in particular, a multimedia compilation by the Sacramento Bee about immigrant forest workers, lauding it as demonstrating "the kind of commitment that we continue to need in a world where news companies, under the gun from investors who think journalism is like any other product, have been abandoning their ambition at a depressing pace."

The reporting Gillmor refers to is not only a fascinating piece, but exemplifies how newspaper journalism is transforming online and indeed, how it might be "saved".

The report is presented as a sort of mini-documentary. There is a general introduction to the whole piece which is then divided into three sections. Each section has its own multimedia introduction including audio, video and images.

The articles for each section are accompanied by photography slideshows, numerous infographics and related documents including scanned primary documents and interviews with subjects of the stories.

At the bottom of each page, readers are allowed to respond or write a letter to the editor, both via email, and the journalists' email and phone number are also given.

Although it is notable that reader comments can be read by other readers, the fact that comments must be sent by email shows that newspapers are still getting used to the aspect of direct reader interaction online. Large news organizations have reputations to protect and must remain decent, something very difficult to do if comments are open to readers like on a blog.

Overall, the story themselves read very much like any investigative article. But the addition of these features adds a dimension that print can't, suggesting that the Sacramento Bee grasps the idea of online journalism, and the possible future of journalism, more than most newspapers. Leonard Witt's plea is already being answered.

Sources: PJNet, Bayosphere, Sacramento Bee