media update’s David Jenkin explores the possibilities.

VR is becoming increasingly common-place as the cost of the hardware becomes more competitive, and as budget alternatives such as Google Cardboard catch on. The demand for VR experiences is rapidly growing, and some news organisations have already begun to experiment in the space.

Already in use


In 2016 The Guardian created a virtual reality experience called 6x9. It gives viewers a sense of what it’s like to be a prisoner locked up in a solitary confinement cell measuring 6x9 feet. Two dimensional photographs and conventional video simply aren’t sufficient to convey a sense of how small that space is. The mobile VR app (which is compatible with Cardboard) puts viewers inside the space and is intended to tell the story of the psychological damage which can ensue from such isolation.

Caroline Davies writes for The Guardian, “This method of storytelling is a highly effective way of highlighting the sensory deprivation that solitary confinement entails.” She adds, “VR is fast becoming a popular means of storytelling, already widespread in gaming but on the cusp of breaking through into news media.”

Media firms investing


Ulrico Grech-Cumbo, CEO of Deep VR, a Johannesburg-based cinematic virtual reality content company, believes VR has a bright future in journalism.

“I think that journalism is one of the most intuitive uses of VR,” he says, “When experiencing VR, your mind cannot distinguish the difference between reality and alternate reality. The ability for media companies and broadcasters to teleport people to refugee camps, riots, villages – and the profound sense of empathy that can be unlocked – is irrefutably valuable.”

Elaborating, he says it would make the most sense to use VR as a ‘second screen’ experience to complement traditional formats like newspapers, magazines, and even broadcast. “This is why VR companies around the world are being bought out by publishers like Washington Post and New York Times,” he concludes.

A tool for empathy and comprehension

Writing for Wired, Caleb Garling explores the capacity for VR journalism to increase empathy. “If viewers can ‘feel’ the power of gunfire overhead in Syria and ‘stand’ shoulder to shoulder with grieving Syrians in the aftermath,” she writes, “They’ll understand these tragedies from the inside, not as just another headline.”

Journalism is often heavy on data and statistics which can make a piece difficult to read. This is where graphics journalism comes in, creating digestible visual representations of information. Since the human brain is inherently visual, graphs, charts and maps serve as handles through which we can comprehend and contextualise the facts. VR has the capacity to take graphics journalism to a new level, with fully interactive visual illustrations that can give viewers a true and highly detailed picture.

Too close to the news?

Former senior reporter at Caxton’s City Buzz turned freelance journalist, Graeme Shackleford, agrees that it’s only a matter of time before VR transforms the way news is reported and consumed. Although on-the-ground reporting of breaking news in VR may still be a way off, he says.  

However, such developments should not be driven by media content producers and advertisers alone, he cautions. “It would require proper consultation with editors’ forums, legal forums, governmental communications and health ministries, and mental health professionals. Children and adults who may be negatively affected by sensitive content, as well as possible effects on the mental health of consumers who expose themselves to potentially disturbing news content through immersive VR technology would need to be taken into account.”

Standards of journalistic ethics and best practice, as well as laws, may need to be reviewed for the VR context, he concludes.

Interested in VR? Read more about how brands are using VR in our article, Lufthansa Group’s use of VR and gamification.