TITLE

Literary Journalism Techniques Create Compelling Blackhawk Down Web Site

AUTHOR(S)

Royal, Cindy; Tankard Jr, James W.

PUB. DATE

September 2004

SOURCE

Newspaper Research Journal;Fall2004, Vol. 25 Issue 4, p82

SOURCE TYPE

Academic Journal

DOC. TYPE

Article

ABSTRACT

This article examines Philadelphia Inquirer's Blackhawk Down Web site from the point of view of literary journalism and suggests directions that this form of journalism may take as it moves into a new communication medium--the World Wide Web. The investigation also reveals ways in which techniques of literary journalism can help creators of journalism can help creators of Web pages make writing on the Web more dramatic, powerful and, consequently, attractive to readers. Blackhawk Down is unusual in being a very long piece of writing on the World Wide Web. Several techniques of traditional literary journalism that were found in use on the Blackhawk Down are: dramatic story form, third person point of view, dialogue in full, cliffhanger endings. In addition, the site uses fea tu res of the World Wide Web in innovative ways to enhance the storytelling power of the literary journalism form. The special strength of the Blacklhawk Down site comes from its combination ofall of these elements into one package. The model provided by the Blackhawk Down site can be applied to other topics. A future version of the World Wide Web will probably do a better job of integrating text, images, audio, video and bulletin boards--leading to still more effective online storytelling.

ACCESSION #

15386191

Tags: WEBSITES;  ELECTRONIC journals;  ONLINE journalism;  WORLD Wide Web;  ELECTRONIC publishing

 

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