Time.com has been building out its video library with a clear goal in mind: taking people to places they can't go without the video. That's what the site's managing editor Josh Tyrangiel told Beet.TV in an exclusive interview earlier this month about how he journalistically approaches online video.
Journalists should keep "story diagnostics" in mind when planning a video piece and make sure the video enhances the story, such as this investigation on Mexican prison overcrowding.
"It's a different way of telling stories. If you look at video in 2002 and 2003 there are a lot of newsroom shots, lots of slightly rumpled people explaining the news to you," he said. But that style doesn't take advantage of the medium. Video reports should be experiential and actually "show" the story to viewers, he said. Even the Time.com humor essays are written and shot in such a way that make the video an essential part of the story, including this recent piece on helium.
American Express is currently one of the site's prominent sponsors. Time.com launched a Blackberry app last month, bringing a smartphone version of its site to Blackberry users.
Daisy Whitney, Senior Producer
Editor's Note: This is the last of our four inteviews with Josh. AP