As a piece of multimedia journalism, Snow Fall is truly impressive. The use of photographs in combination with graphics that change and update as the reader scrolls down the story create an interesting and comprehensive piece of writing that engages even those who might not ordinarily be interested. The way in which the different media was embedded made all the difference for readers. While many articles may include slideshows or videos alongside a body of text, this feature used multimedia as a way of telling the story.

Readers could carefully and clearly keep track of the major players being introduced by looking at a portrait of them in the margins alongside their names, occupation, age, and a clickable slideshow. The images included in each slideshow breathed life into each of the skiers so that they existed outside of their jobs and the events in question, and served to better help readers sympathize with their trauma. The audio from each 911 call accompanying a loose transcript of its content as well as the eerie music and intimate production of the videos included both created atmosphere of what it might have been like on Tunnel Creek in those moments of panic.

In particular, the graphics were a stunning feature. The maps and 3D representations of the paths made clear what exactly was happening while adding to the reader’s experience by giving them something to visualize while reading the rest of the story’s events. Since most of the graphics took up the entirety of the screen and some were a little lengthy without having a “rewind” button (merely just a “replay” feature) forced readers to pay attention. In turn, the graphics served to help readers digest the story by updating as they scrolled down the page.

I feel like another story that would benefit from being given the “Snow Fall treatment” might be the development of the Black Lives Matter movement. Using multimedia in this way would make explaining the start, key players, goals, and influence of the movement very simple and interesting.