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IF YOU HAVENT YET SEEN The New York Times' amazing online package from Dec. 20 titled "Snow Fall," you should: nytimes.com/projects/2012/snow-fall.
The article is about a devastating avalanche in February 2012 at the Tunnel Creek section of Stevens Pass in the Cascade Mountains of Washington. It's written by John Branch, but the project is the result of a team of 1 6 staffers who worked together over six months.
The avalanche was triggered by a group of 16 famous expert skiers and snowboarders; three were killed. The story attracted lots of media attention at the time, but Branch brought his considerable storytelling talent to the assignment, and the Times gave it the kind of treatment - and space - that only The New York Times could afford.
"Snow Fall" ran as its own special section in print with lots of photos and infographies - in itself an unprecedented presentation for something that wasn't, say, 9/11.
But the online version was jaw-dropping in its scope. It brought together all the tools, elements and platforms now available for digital storytelling, and set an awfully high bar for any online media outlet to meet.
When the first page of the project fills in, you don't see the typical navigation at the top of the page, or ads or other content linked at the side. You see a haunting animated image of a snowy mountaintop,...