Bathwater or the Baby?

What if... we looked at this project as a way of organizing information?

What if we stayed in each of our groups and spent the remainder of our time taking what the Missourian produces (and has produced) and organizing it in the same way that the best websites on the internet organize information?

The immediate result would be a critical look at where the Missourian is missing the story in the topics of Growth, Green and Public Safety.

I see great potential for shells to exist as webs of information categories, to provide more context than a nutgraph can by connecting the dots of articles, editorials, online resources and statistics so that niche readers can really delve into what interests them.

And then, respond. And we can answer back.

Furthermore, if we begin laying the groundwork for those connections, we are making a resource for future reporters, and creating the space for non-narrative story-telling to begin. At least for me, the missing visual presentations become more visible when I see many stories on a topic connected on a page. Those connections let me see others that should be available to our readers.

When I think of what the work would be for that, I see hyper attention to what our reporters churn out at the Missourian, I see pages and pages of lines illustrating relationships in what we produce, and I see us using the work that our designers have already done.

And I think that approach would let us see what is missing in our coverage. And then I think we could then follow those missing relationships and turn them into stories, graphics, slideshows and photos.

Plus, we would have made three awesome finished products that continue to grow and contribute to the Missourian's website and the knowledge of our readers.