Mapping the Intersection of Two Cultures: Interactive Documentary and Digital Journalism

A Report by MIT Open Documentary Lab supported by the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation

Supported by the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, The MIT Open Documentary Lab (OpenDocLab) conducted an eight-month research project mapping and assessing the dynamics of an ongoing convergence between interactive and participatory documentary practices and digital journalism. The project launched in October 2014 with a convening at MIT, The New Reality: Exploring the Intersection of New Documentary Forms and Digital Journalism. Forty leading professionals from the worlds of interactive documentary, digital journalism and the academy gathered together to discuss and identify key issues relevant for the study. These findings informed our research which also included interviews, site visits, and readings. The final output is a report, an interactive project timeline, and content development for docubase, our interactive, curated database of the people, projects, and technologies transforming documentary in the digital age.

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Projects Timeline

A timeline of projects from 2008-2015 that mark the convergence of interactive documentary and digital journalism.

Case Studies

The report includes six case studies: one focused on the concept of collaboration across disciplines, institutions, and with publics; two focused on institutional change, and three focused on specific projects and the process and people behind them.

Docubase

See the report project playlist on Docubase, an interactive curated database of the people, projects, and technologies transforming documentary in the digital age.