Immersive Journalism: Playing with Virtual Reality

Abstract

In the last few years some of the most respected names in journalism, including the BBC, the New York Times and the ABC, have been experimenting with immersive technologies such as 360-degree video and, more recently, virtual reality. Such technologies allow for intimacy and immediacy never before seen in news and open up new possibilities for news storytelling. For the last three years, AUT’s journalism programme has included a final semester, capstone assessment in which students produce a piece of long-form immersive journalism, but up until now it has not involved 360-degree video or virtual reality. In collaboration with Dr Thomas Cochrane, from CfLAT , the pair used authentic practice..