One Story, Many Lessons

Here’s the thing.

This past weekend — a lifetime ago in terms of news cycles — The New York Times turned out a stunning example of storytelling in the digital age. In it, there’s a lesson to be learned, not only for news outlets and storytellers but for businesses as well.

As a matter of fact, there are plenty of lessons businesses may learn from what happens inside the news, but for now, let’s look at what Dan Berry and The Times accomplished with the Oct. 28 story, The Lost Children of Tuam.

The story comes from in a spot of Ireland you most likely will never visit, but that’s OK: The writing takes the reader inside Tuam, while the multimedia elements enhance the tone and atmosphere to give greater depth to what the words are saying. The production values are excellent, but the most intriguing take away from this sublime example of how newspapering may embrace today’s technological expectations is simply this: There’s nothing extraneous. Every element builds on the other to create a complete experience for the reader. (Hat tip to the production and editing staff.)

Too often, legacy media, in particular, feels the need to embellish a story with needless bells and whistles to prove it’s earned its place in today’s media landscape. Businesses, via their websites, promotional materials, and even business cards, are often guilty of the same sin.

Admittedly, this story of how nearly 800 children disappeared long ago in a land very far away is a most unlikely place in which to find a lesson. But for every organization that claims to be a “brand,” you need to tell a story, and this is how it’s done. See it for yourself by clicking here.