Interactive Graphic Journalism

Abstract

This paper examines graphic journalism (GJ) in a transmedial context, and argues that transmedial graphic journalism (TMGJ) is an important and fruitful new form of visual storytelling, that will re-invigorate the field of journalism, as it steadily tests out and plays with new media, ultimately leading to new challenges in both the production and reception process. With TMGJ, linear narratives may be broken up and ethical issues concerning the emotional and entertainment value are raised when it comes to ‘playing the news’. The aesthetic characteristics of TMGJ will be described and interactivity’s influence on non-fiction storytelling will be explored in an analysis of The Nisoor Square Shooting (2011) and Ferguson Firsthand (2015).