ARTICLE/SITE: Narrative Nonfiction: Essential or Overrated? - Non-Linear Journalism

[Ryan Goble]

Great article here from the Chicago Reader on non-linear storytelling /journalism - facinating read:

Full article at the Reader - http://goo.gl/nVeku

The U of I campus crime site - http://campuscrime.net/stats

[Steve Buser]

The Internet did not replace the television, the television did not replace the radio, the radio did not replace the newspaper...... They all co-exist. Each with its ow niche and value. Nonetheless, the newspaper has had to accept a few new brothers into the family.
I once was managing editor of a newspaper in the smallest city in the U.S. with two daily newspapers. It was a very competitive and viscous fight to see which could beat the other out. Our publisher kept reminding us, that we were going to win, simply because we were the morning newspaper. As it turned out we did win out. Things change, sometimes we can see the change coming, sometimes we can't.

The world view that things of the past lived in a different era, is probably less useful than one that sees history and change as layers (as in a GIS map) the past lives on, as does the technology of the past, until the layers of the present get more an more opaque.

But POT (the plain old telephones) are still in use. I still listen to CD's in my car. I have a stack of VHS's from my kids childhood. I use a a cell phone that is not a smartphone. I have a stack of vinyl albums that I sometimes convert a song or two to digital. I have a old TV in the bedroom I still watch.

Sometimes we switch to the latest and and greatest technologies just to be at the head of the pack. Sometimes we only convert when the old technology is no longer relevent.

But even the latest and greatest technologies don't bring the promised benefits or don't get to critical mass ( a la Apple's Newton Message Pad, MacIntosh TV, Google Wave, Sony BetaMax, Polaroid Instant Home Movies, the Zune)

Thus, it is always useful to examine each new product or technology for its real value and usefulness before jumping into it head first. However, with the pace of change, many new products do not give us that luxury. They are on us, reach critical mass, and start to fade, before we even take notice.

It's a time strange to us, when the future is coming at us faster and faster.

[Ryan Goble]

Glad you liked the article - for me, as much as I love a great narrative it made me think of the power of student centered teaching instead of lecturing - I'm very interested to see how the model develops and hope to follow this story. Insteresting stuff, eh? Lots to think about there - thank you for your really thoughtful response - it was fun to read!