Experimenting with Immersive Technologies in Journalism
Journalism has always been an immersive experience; its purpose is to bring the reader into the story, to more deeply understand what happened, and why, using whatever technology is available at the time. Exploring the journalistic applications for emerging technologies is as essential now as when making the leap from print to television to the web to mobile. Legacy media institutions know they must commit to evolving alongside technologies such as immersive storytelling experiences, artificial intelligence, and machine learning, or risk being left behind. In this lecture, Pirog will discuss her career at the intersection of technology and journalism, thoughts behind getting 100+ year old media companies to invest in experimental spaces and provide insights as to where the relationship between journalism and tech is heading.
Jenna Pirog is the deputy editor of strategic initiatives for The Washington Post, leading the Lede Lab, an experimental news team dedicated to exploring emerging technologies, new storytelling techniques, and creative partnerships that help The Post serve its growing global audience. Previously, Pirog was the senior director of video and immersive experiences at National Geographic Partners and the New York Times’ virtual reality editor, where she produced 15 immersive projects, including “The Displaced,” which won the 2016 World Press Award for Innovative Storytelling, and “The Fight for Falluja” which was nominated for a News and Documentary Emmy.