The Polish nonprofit newsroom, Outriders, is a prime example of how prioritizing innovation can enhance journalism. Through a combination of innovative formats, an in-depth approach to selecting stories, and active collaboration with local reporters, Outriders is finding new ways to engage its audiences on global issues.
Outriders’ goal is not just to offer information, but to create multi-dimensional, often interactive stories that inspire its audiences to reflect. The team searches for stories from all over the world that may resonate with its audience, on topics such as revolutions, wars, elections, the climate crisis, and gender issues.
“We mainly focus on stories that our audience, [which is] mainly people living in Poland, finds interesting,” said Outriders co-founder, Jakub Górnicki. In recent years, the project has covered protests in Belarus, the Russian invasion of Ukraine and crises in the Caucasus, among other stories.
Here’s how the team is using innovative methods to tell these stories.
Jakub Górnicki, co-founder of Outriders.
An innovative approach
Outriders strives to report in a way that informs, stimulates active reflection, and inspires change. “In 2017, interest in global journalism in general was declining for many media, and that was one of the two main reasons why we decided to start the project,” Górnicki explained. “The second reason was to find a new form of reporting. I think what we lacked most was a different approach to covering global stories that would allow us to better engage with the audience.”
Today, Outriders uses data visualization and mobile journalism to convey its reporting, Górnicki said. The outlet also has a well-coordinated team, and each story is reported by a different subset of people determined by the needs of the story itself.
“We try to find the right people for a specific story," Górnicki said. "We have a wide network of contacts, and depending on what is needed at the moment — knowledge of the topic, knowledge on the ground, or the ability to work with a certain format — we form the team accordingly. In addition, we always involve local journalists as co-authors.”
How Outriders picks its stories
As Outriders doesn’t have the resources to cover every important story, Górnicki said, they’ve opted to focus on more urgent and important topics for Polish readers.
For example, the team recently covered protests in Georgia, a country of importance for Polish audiences, especially in light of many Georgians having recently moved to Poland, Górnicki explained. Security issues are another area of focus. “We are talking about how the country is strengthening its defense capabilities and how global events can threaten Poland's security,” he said.
“One Day In” project.
Covering life during Russia's invasion of Ukraine
Outriders’ story that has had the biggest impact, said Górnicki, is its project about life in Kramatorsk, a city located in an active war zone in eastern Ukraine. The reporting illustrated how people’s daily lives in the city have changed in the face of constant threat from Russia.
Articles, photographs, videos and personal stories about locals living amid the fighting show how people cope with the devastation, loss and change caused by war.
Project Kramatorsk.
“Today, Kramatorsk is 25 to 27 kilometers from the front line. Many people have left the city, and those who stayed have mixed in with the military,” said Górnicki. The city is heavily militarized, it’s visible on the streets. Every city has its own dynamics, and our idea was to show how the urban structure functions during war and how the war affects it.”
This project was one of Outriders’ first to prioritize mobile journalism, 360-degree video and virtual reality (VR) technology. Use of immersive technology like VR helps viewers see and feel how the city is changing as a result of the constant fighting, and make the audience's experience more personal and interactive.
The project was a real breakthrough for Outriders, according to Górnicki, and subsequent stories released in a similar format have racked up hundreds of thousands of views.
Tips for journalists who are ready to experiment
For young journalists with bold ideas for their reporting, Górnicki advises constant experimentation. “I would say: experiment, experiment, experiment! That's the first thing. Don't be afraid to try something yourself. It's like a workout: if you want to learn, you have to practice,” he said.
Frequent collaboration is also key, he continued. “I think it's extremely important to have a network of people to work with. It will make your life a lot easier. Whether you want to collaborate with someone or you sometimes need advice on local issues, these two things are really important.”
Cover photo courtesy of Mariam Tashchyan.
This article was originally published on IJNet Russian and translated into English by Alexandra Tyan.
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