Sunday, October 5, 2008

The Miami Herald's chef-for-a-week

The narrative form is one being less often used in the newspaper world, but in certain instances like this article detailing Evan Benn's experience at a high-end restaurant, it can be an effective way of presenting a story.

Benn tells of how he spent a week at Azul learning tips from the restaurant's chef. He tells of his pains and trials in the first person, another rare form for newspapers, though this story appears in the "Living" section so it's more fitting.

The article is accompanied online by a video and photo slideshow of his efforts. The video is a good addition to the story as it gives a real taste for what life is like behind the counter. It's pretty well-produced for an in-house production as well.

The slideshow is another good addition because it highlights some of the more interesting moments in the story in an easily relatable way.

I also like the sidebar telling some take-home tips for readers to apply in their own kitchens.

Overall, the first person isn't the best way to tell the news but in this case it's an effective story form to tell about a reporter himself being the "news," and the multimedia aspects included offer an invaluable look into the experiment.

1 comment:

Suzanne Levinson said...

All good posts today... glad to see you dissecting various stories/multimedia.

I give you my highest journalism compliment: You seem to 'get it' (online).