Batten Award finalists named
A national panel of judges has selected five finalists to win the 2004 Batten Awards for Innovations in Journalism, showcasing several inventive ideas -- from telling multiple sides of a story, to crafting visual narratives, to creating novel ways for people to interact with the news.
The finalists are:
• "P.O.V.'s Borders/ Environment," POV Interactive
A Web-original series that explores individual choices for using air, water and land and that employs non-linear storytelling, digital art, and interactive opportunities. "Interesting and important content, highly educational and interactive, beautifully presented," the judges said. "It's like 3-D chess."
• "You Decide," KQED, San Francisco
A richly reported monthly Web series that dissects key national issues to core arguments, pro and con, then plays online devil's advocate, challenging user opinions with points and counterpoints. "A different model for reporting both sides of a story and a classic example of where public policy is a conversation and not a lecture," the judges said.
• "The Nature of Things: The Investigation of Swissair 111," CBC.ca
An online investigation that uses animation and video to present a straightforward account of the crash. It was both informational and applauded by victims' families. "Powerful storytelling, splendid navigation, innovative touches throughout," the judges said.
• "Sing My Song," USAToday.comA five-chapter tour of West Virginia's NewSong Festival through the participants' eyes. Conceived for the Web, it was extended to a full page inside the paper. Users could vote for their five favorite songs and compare their picks with the judges’ selections. "It embraces the aspirations and journeys of ordinary people aspiring to achieve their dreams," the judges said. "An exciting template for interactive entertainment news."
• "A Tribute to our Troops," www.projo.com, Providence Journal
An effortless, interactive database that allows readers to create a Web page for an individual soldier or troop and post messages or photos. About 80,000 messages have been posted to about 6,300 Web pages. "An extremely simple exercise in small-J journalism that was very community interactive," the judges said. "It’s like the Civil War letters."
The finalists were selected from 70 entries, submitted by print, television, radio, and online news organizations as well as educational and non-profit institutions. The $10,000 winner, a $2,000 runner-up and three $1,000 Awards of Distinction will be announced Sept. 10 at the Batten Symposium at the National Press Club, Washington, DC.
Jul 27, 2004 | E-MAIL | SAVE | PRINT | PERMALINK | DISCUSS(0)
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