In the Land of Fire and Ice: Multimedia in Long-form Travel Journalism
Open Access
Author:
Mateer, Noelle Elizabeth
Area of Honors:
Journalism
Degree:
Bachelor of Arts
Document Type:
Thesis
Thesis Supervisors:
Curtis William Chandler, Thesis Supervisor Russell Frank, Thesis Honors Advisor Russell Frank, Faculty Reader
Keywords:
journalism travel journalism multimedia web reporting
Abstract:
In 2013, major news outlets incorporated multimedia into their online reporting like never seen before. Stunning high-resolution images, vivid sound and professionally produced video became commonplace on news sites that were originally known just for the written word. While the use of multimedia has proven lucrative for these news organizations, especially the New York Times, travel journalists and travel magazines have fallen behind. This thesis examines the reasons why the travel journalism industry is reluctant to pursue multimedia and speculates this industry’s future in the area.
This research functions as a cover essay for a project combining newfound multimedia journalism methods with traditional long-form travel narrative writing in a way that has yet to be produced by the travel journalists. “In the Land of Fire and Ice” is a narrative about the author’s visit to Iceland to repair her faulty relationship with her father, and the written piece incorporates original video, audio, photography and custom maps. Readers can access this piece by visiting the following link: www.noellemateer.com.
