Innovation in Narrative Formats Redefines the Boundaries of Journalistic Storytelling: Instagram Stories, TikTok and Comic Journalism

Abstract

Journalism is immersed in an ever-changing environment where profes-sional journalistic standards and practices are being constantly redefined. In this context, new forms of news storytelling emerge to engage younger audiences and implement new distribution strategies. These forms of storytelling often overlap with other areas and grey zones, such as entertainment or opinion, challenging traditional journalistic boundaries and values. In this chapter we explore the implications of storytelling innovation in journalism, focusing on three formats that have gained prominence in recent years: (1) ephemeral content in Instagram Stories; (2) viral journalism in TikTok; and (3) comic journalism. We analyze different case studies to examine whether these new forms of storytelling adhere to journalistic standards and practices or instead they redefine them.