The Washington Post is forming a
six-person experimental news team to explore the use of emerging technologies.
The
Lede Lab will look at tech
— such as 5G and spatial computing — to develop storytelling techniques, products and partnerships.
The team is led by Elite Truong, director of
strategic initiatives. Truong was promoted in September, to lead digital experiments and serve as the newsroom’s liaison to the ad department.
Truong had
served as deputy director of strategic initiatives since 2018, working with former director Jeremy Gilbert before he left
WaPo in August.
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The Lede Lab team
formally came together this year and grew threefold.
The team will spearhead partnerships with tech, academic and artistic collaborators in an effort to reach and engage
new audiences, and apply “new approaches that reimagine how a story can be told and what the reader experience looks like,” stated Truong.
In the last few
months, the team published an immersive timeline using 149 videos to reconstruct the first seven days of protests in Minneapolis following George Floyd’s death.
Lede Lab also debuted
AI-powered audio updates for 2020 election results on WaPo podcasts.
“The Lab will also lend its expertise to the industry, regularly sharing lessons and insights and taking an
active role in key research initiatives that explore how technology can strengthen journalism,” Truong added.
The Lede Lab staff includes Seth Blanchard, principal software engineer; Lo
Bénichou, creative technologist, Shikha Subramaniam, UX designer, and Matt Kiefer, data contractor. The search continues for a deputy editor.