A timeline is a well-established story format. It can either act as Context to a story or be the story itself. It is also a high Shelf Life content Formats that can be maintained with minimal regular updates.

Topics that are ideal for timeline

Long-arc topics:

• Topics that have a long history of being in the news, for example, war (Russia’s invasion of Ukraine), scams, long-lasting court cases (Tarun Tejpal rape case), geopolitical conflicts, socio-political movements that organically gain relevance (Farmers Protests), roll out of major policy or legislation (GST)
• Events where the past directly impacts the present and future, for example, Sri Lanka’s economic situation, impacts of a major event e.g. 2008 recession, etc.
• Finally, events that happen frequently but without a regular pattern, for example, gun violence in the US, forest fires, major IPOs, etc.

Defined-arc topics:

• Scheduled events like sports tournaments (Olympics), national days (independence day), major competitive exam announcements, announcements of major court cases, etc.
• Ad hoc events like Neeraj Chopra’s Olympics win, the tragic death of General Bipin Rawat, etc.

Live updating topics:

• Fast unfolding novel events like natural calamities, man-made disasters (fires, train derailments, etc.), terrorist attacks and major crimes.
• Scheduled events like sports matches, parliament sessions and stock market updates.
• Important events within a macro topic like election counting day, announcements of major court case verdicts, etc.

Yes, a topic can start off as a live timeline, then graduate into a micro timeline, and eventually into a macro timeline.

Footnotes:

• Context as news product #JournalismAI | by Ritvvij Parrikh | Times Internet Technology