It’s one thing to do a series on Vietnam. It’s another thing to invite readers to hear the sounds of The Doors, and the stentorian voices of Army generals explaining bombing campaigns, and the weathered voices of the rank and file soldiers and sailors whose lives were shaped by Vietnam.
The Virginian-Pilot’s online presentation of Echoes from the Jungle is the paper’s most ambitious to date, using a mobile responsive template, Spotify soundtrack playlists and extensive in-person interviews to take a comprehensive look back at a controversial war.
We have a huge active duty and former military population, and we’re in the shadow of the world’s largest Navy base. It was crucial for us to include lots of voices of those who were on the ground in Ia Drang and Khe Sahn. We captured the voices of 58 veterans who, in aggregate, tell the complete story of the war.
Using archival news reels, footage from the war and powerful photography of veterans then and now, as well as strong narrative stories written by award-winning reporters, Echoes from the Jungle deserves to be included in the Online Journalism Awards.
