This year, more than ever before, many of our signature New York Times stories were conceived as innovative digital experiences. Time and again, Times journalists combined their expertise, insight and on-the-ground reporting with masterful photos, graphics, video and audio.
The result was captivating journalism with unparalleled impact:
• When the Myanmar government began destroying Rohingya villages, two photographers for The Times had been immersed in the Rohingya story for years. The scenes they portray seem almost biblical: refugees escaping on rafts. Smoke pouring from burning village. A mother holding her surviving child.
The photographers captured these images by slogging for days through mud, marshes and rivers while holding their cameras high. At least 10 other Times journalists contributed expertise in photography, video and digital design.
• LIkewise, our ambitious story on sexual misconduct at Ford — anchored in the images and voices of the women whose suffering it chronicled — came after a lengthy investigation.
The Times had already broken trailblazing stories about Harvey Weinstein, setting off the #MeToo movement.
With the Ford piece, we amplified the voices of working-class women who alleged misconduct over decades at the automaker’s plants. They posed for photographs in the clothes they would have worn to work.
• When two of our journalists went behind the scenes at the Metropolitan Opera House, every door yielded an unexpected delight — from master wig-makers to the world’s best ballerinas. Even chance encounters had their charms (where was that trombonist headed?).
In “Behind the Scenes at the Met,” we replicated that sense of surprise, shooting in one continuous take on a single morning. Everything we encountered (snow yaks, cupcakes, Misty Copeland) was candid.
• The forensic video timeline of the Las Vegas shooting was the first of its kind — a memorable, moment-by-moment reconstruction of the harrowing event.
Reporters on the ground worked with journalists in our video, audio and graphic units to help readers understand what happened during and after the gunfire. We annotated dozens of videos and audio clips recorded at various locations — inside the festival, at the hotel and on streets where concertgoers fled.
By analyzing the audio waveforms of 30 videos filmed by concertgoers, the police and bystanders, we reconstructed all 10 minutes of the assault.
• The Times is the best source of digital election results, and the Alabama Senate special election was a prime example of what the Times offers on election nights.
The Times published up-to-the-second live results and maps of what was the biggest race in 2017. We provided a real-time estimate of the outcome by using reported votes to predict those not yet counted.
We have turned what was once a commodity — the election results page — into an authoritative destination.
At The Times, we are not just pursuing impactful stories. We’re also using powerful digitally native experiences to expose our audience to new worlds and reveal untold truths.
