Tell Me a Story, but It Should Be Real!: Design Practice in Transmedia Journalism

Abstract

Multi-channel structures within the convergence era, both as crossmedia and transmedia phenomena, have become increasingly important, and have completely changed the role of the audience, undermining the notions of authority and authorship, shaping society, and influencing media habits. This has created a mediascape in which readers can vicariously enter fictional and non-fictional spaces that can be explored through multiple media windows. Starting from the assumption that transmedia design can address not only the entertainment market but also the non-fictional field, this chapter aims at exploring journalism through the design lens. The first part of the work is devoted to a description of the contemporary communication scenario, and the second part aims to suggest guidelines for the application of a transmedia approach within the Italian news business, in the form of a conceptual and operational tool.