Narrative Practices in Journalism and Media

Narrative practices in journalism and media encompass the strategies by which stories are structured, framed and communicated across print, broadcast and digital channels. These practices draw upon traditional conventions of plot, character and viewpoint while integrating data visualisation, interactive elements and audience participation to deepen engagement and credibility. In a globalised media environment, transmedia approaches extend narratives across multiple platforms, enabling richer, more dynamic storytelling. Advances in automation and generative AI are reshaping production workflows, offering personalised content delivery but also raising questions of authenticity and editorial oversight. Ethical considerations, from fact-checking to audience trust, remain central as practitioners balance speed with depth. The practical applications of these methods range from investigative exposés and crisis reporting to immersive health and climate communication, underscoring their impact on public discourse and policy.

Research from Nature Portfolio

A recent study explores the adaptation of Edgar Allan Poe’s gothic oeuvre through film and independent video games, revealing how transmedia storytelling can preserve literary ethos while engaging modern audiences. The research identifies three core narrative components—Mythos, Topos and Ethos—and examines how they are leveraged differently in cinematic and interactive formats. Films tend to emphasise supernatural horror to evoke fear, whereas video games employ noir sensibilities and complex crime narratives to foster player agency and emotional immersion. Gothic elements such as abjection and sublimity are shown to navigate themes of mortality and morality, illustrating the ongoing vitality of classic narratives in contemporary media landscapes.

Narrative Practices in Journalism and Media publication trend

The graph below shows the total number of articles in narrative practices in journalism and media across all publications each year (not limited to Nature Index journals).

Technical terms

Transmedia storytelling: A narrative strategy that unfolds a cohesive story across multiple media platforms, each contributing a distinct dimension to the overall account.

Multimedia narrative: The integration of text, images, video, audio and graphics to construct an immersive and layered storytelling experience.

Generative AI: Computational models capable of producing text, audio or visual content, often trained on large data sets to assist or automate creative processes.

Immersive narrative: Storytelling techniques that actively engage the senses or emotions of the audience, fostering a sense of presence within the story world.

References

1. Echoes of the gothic: transmedia reinterpretations of Edgar Allan Poe’s legacy in independent films and video games. Humanities and Social Sciences Communications (2024).
2. Audiences, automation, and AI: From structured news to language models. AI Magazine (2024).
3. Multimedia Storytelling in Journalism: Exploring Narrative Techniques in Snow Fall. Information (2018).
4. Postdigital Storytelling: Storytelling (Within or Across) the Digital and Transmedia Field. Postdigital Science and Education (2024).