The NewsCube has been shortlisted for the Walkley Grants for Innovation in Journalism. It is one of six projects in the running for a share of $40,000 in seed funding that can be used to develop the project. We’ll be heading to Sydney in June for the announcements.

Check out the press release here.

The NewsCube is an application that aims to enhance user engagement with content, facilitate collaboration, and encourage depth to reporting. The concept has been developed as part of a PhD research and is based on a few assumptions:

• That journalists can better exploit technology: The internet means we can create links between ideas and content and so tell stories from multiple perspectives;
• That  a new journalism is emerging that is highly visual, collaborative and involves stories that evolve over time — they are always a work in progress;
• That connecting with audiences in meaningful ways unlocks various types of value, such as reach, engagement, understanding, and, in turn, revenue;
• That there is a market for in-depth, meaningful stories that audiences go to publishers directly for. These readers are more engaged than those who come via shared links, but social sharing is important for attracting new audiences.

Find out more about the research project here.