Traditional journalism models are collapsing because of their inability to hook their readers to keep them afloat with realistic subscription fees, which once upheld the idea of journalism as the fourth pillar of democracy. While this has led to disastrous consequences with the watering down of democratic principles–and arrests of journalists who question the regime–this also has meant opportunities for creative storytelling. How can storytelling be creative with digital tools, in a manner that diverse expertise can be brought together?
Drawing in from her wide experience as a freelance journalist and the various journalism projects, Priyanka Borpujari will speak about the challenges with going solos: with being expected to develop digital tools that limit her own storytelling expertise. She calls for a creative mindset within the WordPress community—as creative or even better than the propagandist tools that arm trolls—towards collaborative Internet tools for effective storytelling and their democratic dissemination.