Tadaaaa: a summer treat for you. Why wait until the end of the year to share our favorite digital stories? We listed interactives, data-driven stories, games and scrolly’s from around the world that made us very happy.
We love to be inspired. And you love it too. Our blogs with the best digital stories of 2018 and 2017 are in the top 10 of our best read articles. Do you want to share your favorite? Let us know on Twitter!
1. New York Times – The making of a Youtube radical
A good ‘old’ scrolly: good story, images, infographics and a nice rhythm. In this production, the New York Times explain what happened to Caleb Cain, a college drop-out that fell into the alt-right rabbit hole after watching video after video with conspiracy theories and misogyny and racism.
2. BNN/VARA – I am Mosul (Dutch)
Can you survive a war? This is the main question of the game, developed by a Dutch broadcaster. The questions are based on real life in Mosul, but in the game the setting is your own home town The Netherlands. “You have to run and you’ve got 8 seconds to choose the most essentials! Shoot, my time is up and I only packed my phone charger.
3. SBS Australia – Missing: Joan Aboriginal trackers’ search for girl
This interactive tells the story of Wendy Pfeifer, a missing girl. It made my heart beat faster and broke my heart at the same time. Audio is sometimes neglected, but not in this story. Scroll through this amazingly beautiful audiovisual story and find out what happened to Wendy.
4. The Guardian – Internet, but not as we know: life online in China, Russia, Cuba and India
Being online has become something so common that we almost never realize it’s not the same everywhere. This interactive, in old fashioned online design, shows you what the digital world is like when you’re online in Russia, China, Cuba or India.
5. Pro Publica – Year in (mostly) Visual Journalism
One of the first special productions that appeared on the internet in 2019 probably. Pro Publica made a beautiful scrolly on all their work of the year before. PS: A smart way of marketing your own special productions.
6. The Economist – build a voter
What will someone vote? The Economist made a data-driven story on what people vote. Fill in the gaps, create your own voter and see how big the chances are he or she votes democratic.
7. Malaysiakini – Budget 2019- What’s in it for you?
Political speeches on budgets are not the most sexy. How can you make it interesting for your reader? Malaysiakini, a digital media company in Malaysia, developed an online tool which help you fingering out what the new budget will mean for you. Just, anwser 6 simple questions. Always important to make complex subjects understandable for everyone.
8. Vox – We can draw school zones
Very impressive large data project, with a big local aspect. Find your county and check what your district looks like if everyone went to the nearest school. Is it reducing segregation or exacerbating it? And what would happen if there were school zones?
9. Straits Times – Game of survival
This is the successor of the Uber Game from 2017. Make life choices while playing a character and find out more about the new Singapore government budget. How well do you handle a budget?
10. The Times – could you be Speaker?
Order! With the whole Brexit troubles everyone watched the videos of the Speaker of the House yelling ORDER!. But could you do it? Watch a few animations and decide what people can or can’t do in the House.