USA TODAY NETWORK Launches Groundbreaking Project, ‘The Wall,’ to Examine President Trump’s Signature Promise
September 20 2017 - 6:00AM
Business Wire
Project includes first ever VR experiences of
life along the border and the most comprehensive public map of
border fencing to date
USA TODAY NETWORK, part of Gannett Co, Inc. (NYSE:GCI) launched
today “The Wall: Unknown Stories, Unintended Consequences.” This
landmark multi-media report examines in unprecedented detail
President Donald Trump’s signature campaign promise to build “a
great wall” on the U.S.-Mexico border. It reveals the challenges
and consequences, including a NETWORK investigation finding that
building a wall in mostly wide-open Texas could require disrupting
or seizing nearly 5,000 individual parcels of property.
This immersive experience encompasses virtual reality, bots,
aerial and 360-degree video, documentaries, photos, podcasts, LiDAR
data, exclusive reporting and an upcoming long-form film. ‘The
Wall’ brings the stories of the region to life in a way never seen
before. The combined effort of more than 30 reporters,
photographers and videographers from NETWORK newsrooms along the
border in California, Arizona, New Mexico and Texas provides a
comprehensive understanding of the proposed border wall, those
who will be affected, and all of the issues surrounding it. This
project is led by The Arizona Republic and other newsrooms along
the border where journalists have personal connections and decades
of experience covering the topic.
NETWORK journalists flew every mile of the border in a
helicopter to film and map the line, to document the existing
fences and create a permanent record of what is there before any
new wall construction begins. For the first time ever, people will
be able to view the entire border in high definition video, where
towns and homes abut the border, where fences begin and end, and
the sometimes hundreds of miles of gaps in between.
Working with NETWORK producers, developers and emerging tech
teams, the journalists interpreted the meaning and consequences of
the proposed border wall in formats that pushed the boundaries of
technology. More than a dozen stories and documentary-style
features take viewers inside the report. An interactive map lets
users see every foot of the NETWORK’s end-to-end flight of the
border. Ten podcasts share the journalists’ behind-the-scenes
experiences, and allow listeners to launch chatbots for more
information. A Facebook Show page will house all 13
documentaries. And a special presentation in virtual reality
lets users step inside the stories and stand at locations along the
border itself.
“We’ve got the sources, we’ve done the homework and we
understand the issues. We’ve examined the border from thousands of
feet in the air and from a tunnel 70 feet underground. We’ve roamed
the ocean and desert with Border Patrol agents and the hills with
armed vigilantes. We’ve learned something new at every turn,” said
Nicole Carroll, Vice President/News and Editor of The Arizona
Republic.
For the VR experience, the NETWORK team collected LiDAR data at
eight hotspots along the border; designers then used photogrammetry
technology to create a virtual representation of the environment
for users to explore. The VR experience, made for the HTC Vive,
includes modeled terrain and real audio from the locations, plus
curated journalism from throughout the project “The Wall.”
“This unprecedented project is a testament to the innovation
happening across the USA TODAY NETWORK,” said Maribel Wadsworth,
SVP & Chief Transformation Officer, Gannett. “This project
highlights our unique ability to leverage our local footprint along
the border to educate and inform Americans on a crucial topic at an
important time, as Congress debates funding for the proposed border
wall.”
“We set out to bring the border to life in groundbreaking ways,
through mini-documentaries, behind-the-scenes podcasts and an
interactive map that offers the most exhaustive view of the
U.S.-Mexico border,” said Kevin Poortinga, VP, Gannett Innovation
Lab. “With the HTC Vive headset, we are transporting you to the
border. That technological prowess is powerful when paired with
informative stories that spark curiosity and help you relate to the
people experiencing life along the border.”
In July, the project was selected as one of 11 winners of the
Journalism 360 challenge, an initiative that “seek[s] to help
develop and expand [the] best practices in immersive storytelling,
including narratives, ethics, and production.” The project received
a $28,000 grant from the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation and
Google News Lab. ‘The Wall’ was also selected for a grant by the
Center For Cooperative Media for collaborative engagement
efforts.
For more on “The Wall: Unknown Stories, Unintended
Consequences,” go to thewall.usatoday.com.
About USA TODAY NETWORK
USA TODAY NETWORK, part of Gannett Co, Inc. (NYSE: GCI), is the
largest local-to-national media organization in the country,
powered by our award-winning newsrooms and marketing solutions
business. With deep roots in local communities spanning the U.S.
with more than 100 brands, plus USA TODAY, we engage more than 110
million people every month through a diverse portfolio of
multi-platform content offerings and experiences. For more
information, visit www.gannett.com.
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USA TODAY NETWORKChrissy Terrell, 703-854-5292Director,
Corporate Events & CommunicationsCaterrell@usatoday.com
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