Multimedia journalism is all about using different types of media—text, photos, audio, video, and interactive elements—to tell a story.
But, too often, the “Multimedia” tabs on scholastic website lead us to single-format stories: photo galleries, stand-alone audio clips, video, etc., This is not multimedia storytelling.
For teachers and students in a high school setting, multimedia storytelling means going beyond just writing articles; it’s about creating an experience for readers. By adding images, video clips, or even interactive graphics, we can help readers feel more connected to the story, understand complex topics better, and stay engaged. Multimedia tools make stories richer and reach audiences in ways that a single medium just can’t achieve.
The article “The Long Road to Citizenship” tells the story of Katia Angelova, who moved from Bulgaria to the U.S. and became a citizen. It covers her motivations, struggles, and the realities of immigration, from dealing with complex processes to adapting to a new culture. Through text and images, the story brings readers close to her journey and emotions. It’s an example example of how using multimedia can make a story more personal and impactful.
You can read the full article here.
At the top of the article, you can see Knight Lab’s Timeline feature, which is a free, easy-to-use tool that allows users to create interactive, visually appealing timelines by simply filling in a Google spreadsheet template. It supports embedding multimedia, such as images, videos, and links, which helps bring stories to life and makes timelines more engaging. This tool is great for students and educators who want to organize information chronologically, like historical events or personal stories, in an engaging and accessible way.
For more, check out Knight Lab’s Timeline.
Written By: Tracy Anderson
