Locative Journalism Project “Notable Entry” in Innovation Contest

EVANSTON, ILL. -- August 6, 2008

Medill’s 2008 New Media Publishing Project dealing with locative journalism was considered one of 24 “notable entries” in the Knight-Batten Awards for Innovation in Journalism. Over 100 entries were submitted.

The Knight-Batten Awards honor creative uses of new technologies to engage citizens in public issues and showcase compelling models for the future of news. They are administered by J-Lab: The Institute for Interactive Journalism at American University's School of Communication. The locative journalism project is featured on the J-lab Web site.

The Medill students involved in the project called themselves "Team LoJo," short for "locative journalism." Their mission: Learn about location-based technologies, such as GPS-enabled mobile devices and interactive maps, and explore their implications for journalism and storytelling. Team LoJo reported a series of multimedia stories about Chicago's bid for the 2016 Olympics, and experimented with different ways of presenting those stories—via online slideshows, Web-based maps and location-aware portable devices. They documented their research and reporting on a blog (lojoconnect.com) and produced findings and recommendations for journalists, newsrooms, media companies and journalism schools.

Read more about the Knight-Batten finalists, honorable mentions and other notable entries at http://www.j-lab.org.