Strong online and multimedia storytelling doesn’t happen by accident, and it doesn’t happen because one person is particularly talented with a camera, a CMS, or a new tool.
At its best, digital storytelling is systems work: intentional planning, clear roles, shared standards and a commitment to building stories that reward audiences who choose to spend time with them.
Over the years, I’ve learned that the most effective digital work comes not from chasing formats, but from designing reporting ecosystems that allow journalism to breathe, evolve and travel.
Think in Story Architectures, Not Assets
One of the biggest mistakes teams make is treating multimedia elements as add-ons — video here, a photo gallery there, maybe an interactive if time allows.
Instead, the most successful projects I’ve led started with a simple question: What structure does this story need to be fully understood?
At ABC 10News, that meant planning digital-first deep dives as complete reporting packages, not single articles. These projects were often digital exclusives, promoted on broadcast, designed to immerse readers rather than rush them through.
A typical structure included:
- A clear main bar that carried the core narrative
- Sidebars that broke down key impacts, timelines, or explainers
- Multimedia elements that added understanding, not noise
- Interactive tools that let audiences explore the reporting on their own terms
This approach shifted the conversation from “What should we post?” to “What experience are we building?”
Case Study: The ARkStorm Project
One of the most successful examples of this systems-based approach was our coverage of the U.S. Geological Survey’s ARkStorm scenario — a modeled megastorm envisioned for California.
Rather than treating it as a single explainer, we built a layered digital report that allowed audiences to grasp both the science and the stakes.
The project included:
- A central explainer breaking down what an ARkStorm event is and why it matters
- Impact stories focused on infrastructure, housing and communities
- An interactive image slider revealing before-and-after sea level rise along San Diego’s coastline
- Visuals and maps that turned abstract risk into something tangible and local
Each element was designed to answer a specific audience question. Together, they formed a cohesive system, one that broadcast could promote, but digital audiences could fully explore.
The success of the project wasn’t tied to any single tool. It came from intentional design and collaboration across reporting, visuals and production.
Systems Require Teams, Not Silos
This kind of work only happens when teams are aligned around a shared process.
At 10News, I led teams of digital reporters with the expectation that:
- Original digital reporting wasn’t secondary, it was foundational
- Reporters understood how their work could power multiple platforms
- Multimedia and interactive elements were part of reporting, not decoration
- Promotion and presentation were considered early, not after publication
Digital reporters weren’t just filing text. They were contributing to video segments, building visual explainers, collaborating on interactives and shaping how stories would live beyond a single page.
That systems mindset reduced duplication, improved quality and allowed teams to take on ambitious projects without burning out.
Applying the Same Framework Beyond the Newsroom
I used the same approach at San Diego State University, adapting it to a different mission and audience.
Coverage planning around affinity months, major campus events and commencement ceremonies followed a similar structure:
- Define the core narrative and audience purpose
- Identify supporting stories and perspectives
- Plan multimedia and interactive elements in advance
- Build packages that could live across platforms and over time
That consistency helped elevate the work and contributed to award-winning coverage, including commencement ceremonies recognized by CASE. Different environment, same principle: systems create space for excellence.
Why Systems Matter More Than Ever
As platforms fragment and attention becomes more selective, audiences are less willing to piece stories together themselves.
Systems-based content creation:
- Respects audience time and curiosity
- Encourages deeper engagement, not just clicks
- Makes collaboration scalable
- Allows organizations to do fewer things, better
Tools will change. Formats will evolve. But teams that understand how to design stories as interconnected systems will continue to produce work that stands out.
Online and multimedia content creation isn’t about mastering every new feature. It’s about building structures that let strong reporting shine, wherever and however audiences encounter it.
Mario Sevilla 