Before the pandemic, smartphones had already emerged as the most widely used electronic devices for the look-out of news.
That preeminence is now much greater.
So much so that it has given way to new formats of telling stories or handing news, taking into account not only the narrow space of those screens, but the habits of users.
Then, the mobile journalism mode has arrived, which prioritizes the writing of short and sequential texts, in a linear way, preferably no larger than five concise paragraphs and with simple, explicit words.
Nothing should interrupt that linear format. As in, no hyperlinks or redirects used to refer the reader to other sources.
But it’s essential that these quick masses of paragraphs come illustrated with still or moving images. Striking captions can also be used to keep the reader’s attention.
A widely used resource is that of cards or banners to incorporate titles or quotes, phrases and data related to the story in question.
And in the case of a device that the user uses repeatedly, the ideal thing is to create segments of a same story, either adding extra details or following the evolution of an event.
This mobile journalism is quite dynamic and changing. News work in portions here. Live broadcasts and graphics can allow the readers to interrupt their consumption process at will and continue later.
– Translated from Spanish by Randy Rodriguez.
Director's Thoughts 