Yolanda's Crossing

http://www.dallasnews.com/s/dws/spe/2006/yolanda/

I first read this seven part series in the Dallas Morning News about Yolanda Méndez Torres, a young woman who was raped at the age of 11 and forcefully brought to the U.S by the man who raped her, Juan García Aguilar. I figured, since this was a special feature, that there had to be more information online (plus, there was a sidebar alongside every installment telling the reader to go online for more information). Sure enough, there is a special multimedia package that features videos, audio clips, and photos not available in the paper.

Yolanda's story was so horrific and detailed, even in plain writing. However, words sometimes don't do a story justice. There's something different about seeing pictures alongside the story that helps bring it to life. Instead of relying purely on one's own imagination, the reader is able to actually see photos that show places the victim has stayed, situations she was in. To make the story even more effective, the video is shown with Yolanda telling her own story. Her voice is calm, the high pitched, girlish tones showing her youth (she’s only 19).

Using a combination of video and audio is far more effective than the story alone. Reading the text forces the reader to use his/her imagination to create pictures as interpreted from the text. By using actual photos and clips from Yolanda's experience, the story becomes more real and the reader is almost sucked into the story. Real places and real people make the story come alive, and Yolanda's narrative makes it feel as if the story was told personally to him/her.

If the story had been broadcast simply all video without the accompanying text, it would be effective, but not as much so with the whole package. Images move the viewers, and this is what makes broadcast journalism more “emotional,” I suppose. However, broadcast news tends to be shorter, simply capturing the rush of emotions at the moment. It doesn't go in depth the way print does, doesn't analyze. Sure, a follow up broadcast could always be done, but it still isn’t as effective as having accompanying text to read at the moment, when the story catches your interest.

Another good thing about having different media on one page is that it appeals to different types of people. There is something for everyone. Some would rather watch a moving clip and “experience” the story in a sense, others prefer to let words tell the story and to use their imagination. The audience can choose one medium, or use them all, whichever is preferred.

In this package's case, the different media combine to powerfully tell a story. The site is laid out simply on a black background. Thumbnails of various photos are actually links that lead to text that was printed in the newspaper along with an accompanying video. For people like me, the video was first to catch my attention. I admit it: I'm lazy at times, and watching is so much easier than reading. I clicked on the link, and dramatic music immediately streamed out of my headphones. It was soon followed by a girlish voice speaking Spanish. While the video plays, English subtitles are displayed at the bottom of the screen.

Having these different media made my experience with this story full. I was intellectually stimulated and emotionally moved, a full experience I couldn't achieve with simply a newspaper or broadcast news. However, if every bit of media was not viewed, the viewer would not have this "full" experience. Simply reading the text would definitely be an advantage because it is so much more in depth and has information the video clips lack. One example would be in the last installment, the information about Aguilar. The video does not mention him in the last clip, and ends on a happy, warm, fuzzy note. The viewer feels happy for Yolanda, without bothering to think about Aguilar. Perhaps he/she will even think of Yolanda much as a saint, for being so forgiving. In this sense, it is somewhat unbalanced.

I'm glad media is converging, that sites are beginning to both text and video. It's definitely crucial at a time like now, when everyone should be accomadated for. With packages like this, I think everyone can be satisfied and enjoy reading/viewing news stories more.