Exploring Alternative Formats for Journalistic Storytelling: The Use of Carousels and Galleries
In the evolving landscape of digital journalism, storytelling techniques have expanded beyond traditional articles and scrollytelling formats to incorporate innovative presentation models. One such approach involves utilizing carousel or gallery formats to convey news stories, particularly when certain constraints or organizational preferences favor these methods over scrolling narratives.
Traditionally, immersive stories like The New York Times’ “Dawn Wall” utilize scrollytelling—a technique that synchronizes visuals, text, and interactive elements within a scrolling interface to provide a rich, narrative-driven experience. However, there are scenarios where maintaining a fixed, slide-based format is preferable or required, such as corporate branding guidelines, platform limitations, or specific user engagement strategies.
Why Choose a Carousel or Gallery Format?
- Controlled Navigation: Users click through discrete slides, ensuring they focus on one segment at a time.
- Design Flexibility: Each slide can incorporate varied media—images, text, videos, or interactive graphics—allowing for curated storytelling.
- Compatibility and Accessibility: Some platforms or client requirements may restrict scrolling capabilities, making carousels a practical alternative.
Challenges in Finding Exemplary Use in Journalism
Despite their popularity in portfolios, product showcases, or portfolios, carousels and galleries are less commonly employed for longitudinal news storytelling. This creates a challenge for journalists and developers seeking real-world examples to illustrate potential applications.
Research and Recommendations
If you are exploring this format for your journalistic project, consider looking into editorial projects that have experimented with slide-based storytelling. Examples might include:
- Interactive timelines presented as a sequence of slides.
- Photo-essay stories where each slide expands on a theme or event.
- Data-driven stories segmented into digestible parts.
While specific high-profile journalism examples remain scarce, many news outlets and independent journalists are increasingly adopting carousel formats for feature stories, especially on social media platforms like Instagram or Facebook.
Closing Notes
If a carousel or gallery format aligns with your project requirements, it can serve as an effective alternative to traditional scrolling stories. Sharing these stories with your development team can help visualize how media elements can be segmented and presented interactively.
Additional Suggestions
In cases where carousel or gallery formats do not suffice, consider hybrid approaches—such as modular stories that combine elements of scrollytelling with slide-based navigation. Ultimately, the best format aligns with your narrative goals, audience preferences, and technical constraints.
If you have examples
