Newspaper research
Turn through several newspaper pages, stop on the matching article and zoom into a selected word or sentence. Blur the surrounding text and highlight the exact phrase, with adjustable page count and turning speed.
Try this effect
Show a search as a short journey through the papers
A sequence of searches may appear as if it is a process; the reader reads through multiple pages, and then the camera rests upon the selected words. "Newspaper Research" portrays this movement through several designed newspaper pages and then focuses on the corresponding phrases. It may provide a beginning for an investigative story, a media-literacy lesson, a fictional archival scene or a presentation focusing on locating a specific passage within a text.
The editor looks at the article text that you put into the editor; it does not search news websites, read a scanned newspaper clipping with OCR (optical character recognition), or verify a source. For a fictional example, use the sample text, or paste a portion of text that you have permission to use. A marked phrase indicates only where the text can be found within the editor's copy. It does not show that a statement was made, find an article from another source, or indicate whether a real publication actually published the words.
Set the phrase and check whether the copy contains it
Search for a word or phrase in the search box, and look at the match result prior to changing the number of pages. The editor will let you know what number of matches were found. You can then use the Match Location menu to select either the first match or one specific match. If no matches exist, you should either change your phrase or put in the appropriate wording for the article. This step is necessary so that the animation does not continue to turn through pages without finding anything to show.
You may edit the full newspaper article for up to 4,000 characters. Exact spelling and punctuation will aid in understanding what the search results will be. When there are several occurrences of the same word, choose the one that supports your story. To distinguish between multiple instances of the same word, use the match selector to view the surrounding sentence. When using a phrase from an actual newspaper article, compare the copied text with the original article prior to documenting your search.
Scroll sideways to compare every column →
| Control | Available direction | What it changes |
|---|---|---|
| Pages to search | Two to six | Sets the browsing sequence |
| Page turn speed | 0.25× to 2× | Sets turn pace |
Choose how many pages the sequence turns through
The "Pages to Search" range is from 2 to 6. A smaller number will allow you to find what you are looking for quicker, while a larger number allows you to take your time and do more research. Choose a number based on how long the story is, not just because you think that the longer the story, the better the effect will be. If the phrase you want to use is located at the beginning of the story, then searching through many pages may reduce the pacing, unless each additional turn adds something to the story.
Page Turn Speed offers several different speeds, including a quarter-speed setting and a twice normal speed, along with a range control to fine-tune your speed. Pause-On-Headline allows you to add anywhere from 1-8 seconds after each new discovery beat. You should allow enough time for the reader to realize that they have selected a particular phrase. A faster browse followed by a longer hold will appear to be more intentional than having each page display on-screen for the same amount of time.
Focus the discovery with a marker, spotlight or cutout
Background blurring provides a softer view of the surrounding print, and marker colors include yellow, green, pink, cyan and orange. Headline focus will draw attention to either the top headline, the middle story or the bottom anchor. There are several ways to reveal your focused area (marker focus, soft spotlight, cutout lift, and locked match cut). Each provides a different way to display your selected word(s), so select a focus style that preserves your selected word(s) and provides enough surrounding context for understanding.
If you are designing with a small target word, use a cut out/marker to separate it clearly from its surroundings. Longer sentences require less blur and more room to be seen. A locked match-cut style will anchor your phrase to the design of the paper even as the designs evolve, while a research sequence will show readers what happened prior to finding the answer. You can see how well your design looks at the correct size; using a lot of blur will create drama in your page, however, readers may not have enough context to understand it.
Vary the page layout without repeating one broadsheet
The various designs that you may choose from include a mixture of designs, a traditional newspaper design, a hardcover volume design, an editorial feature design, and a smaller version of a journal. There are three types of paragraph spacing, which include: compact, balanced, and airy. If you use a mixed design then the editorial layouts used in each section of your publication will change; however, if you select a fixed design then all of the pages in your publication will have a similar layout. To generate an additional option for a page layout you can select "Shuffle Page Designs." When you are looking at different layout options keep the same target phrase in mind so that you can determine if searching for content is still easy.
Using the selected paper style and spacing changes the appearance of the surrounding text; however, it does not create a new source publication. Unless the page is a verified source image for which you have permission to use, treat the page as an editorial sample. When the target phrase falls within a fold or is located in a dense column, find a better match or alter the design of the page. Searching should draw the reader’s attention to areas of interest rather than requiring them to examine every small detail.
Create an investigative beat that does not invent evidence
A fictional author could write an imaginary newspaper article with a clue word as a means to begin describing the exact point at which a character realizes that there is an inconsistency. In addition to being used by fiction writers, teachers can also create short classroom readings, showing how one particular word appears throughout many different sections of the reading. Finally, an editor may use the series of events as an illustration of how to check sources before providing the URL and publication date for the source material at the end of the animation. Each of these examples demonstrate that searching can be made visible, but that this does not necessarily mean that the search results have been confirmed.
For real reporting or research, make sure to include a source citation, date, and publication name with the project notes or with the article content. The newspaper layout that will be created does not represent an actual reproduction of an archive, and the phrase you have chosen will not be linked automatically to the source. You must clearly state if the article content is a fiction, created by the user, or if it has been quoted. Accurate attribution allows the visual process to aid your research rather than having the visual process appear as a record of your research.
Tune the page-turn rhythm before exporting
First, enter the search phrase, then select the occurrence and the page count. Next, adjust the page speed, focus style and marker. Finally, determine the headline pause based upon the total number of turns required. The advantage to this method is that it will allow you to quickly determine if a problem was caused by a lack of content (missing copy), a poor layout (unhelpful layout) or too little time (rushed timing). At least once, view the entire sequence without stopping, and take note of when you find something interesting (the moment of discovery).
If you get the results too slow, either use less pages or speed up the turn. If the words show on the screen but are gone before you can read them, slow down the headline pause or slow down the last movement. The duration settings will allow for longer overall sequences and have a higher maximum for research than most other types of effects. Make sure to check the final canvas crop and keep the phrases from being too close to the edges where video player controls may cover them.
Export a still or a complete research sequence
The export panel can provide you with a single frame of PNG, as well as a GIF and a web-browser compatible video for each mode. The video has either a solid color or green background rather than being transparent (alpha) as it was originally. If you want to place the video on top of other footage, then you will need to apply a chroma key effect. GIFs also have a solid background. This panel will inform you what types of video files can be played by your present web browser. Make sure you check out what options are available prior to giving directions to your editor/co-worker.
A static PNG will allow you to take a screenshot of a specific line of text to use as your slide. A video will show how each page is turned and paused. After importing the scanned image/video into the final search results timeline, review the marked words at the actual size of the finished product. Keep in mind that saving the original project along with a copy of the source material allows you to edit or find a specific word in case you need to fix a misspelling or relocate where the word appears. If you would like to quickly scan for an article, see Newspaper Page Scan; Newspaper Search focuses on a phrase within an article, and Paper Word Trail follows words through a paragraph. The search guide explains preparing the text.
Keep the source visible and the excerpt fair
The use of a blurred page can disguise qualifications for a quote. Be sure to provide at least enough of the original sentence or links to the complete source so that the reader understands the intended meaning. Do not use the animation to create the impression that the phrase you are using was taken from a real published work when it was taken from placeholder copy. Ensure that if the passage is protected by copyright or is considered private, you have both a valid reason for utilizing the passage in the desired format and permission to do so.
This is an animation that shows someone searching for information using their computer, not a digital library or archive. Cite sources and provide written descriptions of the information being presented outside of the animated portion of the video so viewers have the opportunity to verify the validity of the information after the page turns.