StoryMap
Readers expect newspapers to cover their communities. The StoryMap is how the Durham Voice shows its commitment to local readers.
I developed the StoryMap as part of my redesign of durhamvoice.org. Newspaper websites are typically populated with a grid of headlines and pictures. However, readers expect more from the web and especially from the Durham Voice, which grew out of a tragedy.
University of North Carolina Senior Lecturer Jock Lauterer was furious when Student Body President Eve Carson was murdered near her Chapel Hill home. A jury found two young men from Durham were responsible.
Lauterer channeled his anger into starting the Voice — a community newspaper intended to cover the neighborhood the young men from Durham grew up in. He wanted the newspaper to do more than cover crime in that part of the city.
The StoryMap helps accomplish that by highlighting community organizations working to improve northeast-central Durham. Click a pin, and the map displays recent stories that help connect residents to institutions in their backyard.
It’s just one tool featured on the Voice’s new website. I also added a community calendar, a donation page, a contact page and a photography blog. All improve the Voice’s digital presence while giving residents tools to help them better understand their community.
Here are before and after screenshots of the website:
