A man tests a virtual reality (VR) headset at a convention for gaming. Pic: Flickr/Maurizio Pesce

Samsung teams up with The New York Times for 360-degree video journalism project

THE New York Times newspaper has partnered with South Korea’s Samsung Group to bring virtual reality (VR) to digital journalism – it plans to bring 360-degree video stories to the fore with either major news stories or interesting human interest pieces.

NYT launched its video feature, called The Daily 360, which publishes at least one 360-degree video a day. The first in the series is a video that puts the viewer right in the middle of a building that has been reduced to rubble from an airstrike in Yemen, with footage by photographer Tyler Hicks and reporter Ben Hubbard.

“You can experience 360 videos on your phone, tablet, or computer – no headset needed,” wrote NYT in a post introducing The Daily 360.

Samsung comes into play by equipping NYT journalists with its Gear 360 cameras and other related tools to help create an immersive experience for the newspaper’s audience.

The tech giant will also be offering videos from The Daily 360 on its premium Samsung VR content service, reports Endgadget.

Samsung’s chief marketing officer in the U.S., Marc Mathieu, said: “Virtual reality storytelling isn’t just exciting and immersive, it can forge a lasting and empathetic connection between viewers and subjects.

SEE ALSO: How 5 industries are using 360 videos for marketing

“In collaborating with The New York Times, we want Samsung’s innovative products and services to show how coverage of the world’s most important stories can be made richer, more useful, and more human when augmented by 360-degree experience,” he added.

The move marks NYT’s commitment in taking journalism another step further into the digital world, and embracing new technologies at hand. While it’s not the newspaper’s first news-based VR venture ever – in October 2015, NYT launched a VR news app – it does well in showcasing how journalists and media companies can readily adapt to the ever-shifting digital world.