The format
Why scrollytelling?
Scrollytelling tells a story at the pace someone scrolls. Text, images, video and data appear exactly when they are needed. Newsrooms such as the New York Times, the NZZ and the Financial Times have worked this way for years. Here is what their people say about it.
The voices
Seven voices, one argument.
The quotes come from interviews, trade articles and research. They are about the format, not about Scrolly. We add a short note on each.
One gesture everyone knows
For years, interactive graphics asked readers to search, filter and click for themselves. Most people just want to understand and move on. Everyone can scroll, no instructions needed.
“Scrollytelling is a way to do that. It requires one interaction that we’re all really good at — scrolling.”
Stuart A. ThompsonThe New York TimesInterview in Nightingale The phone settled it
On a small screen, tapping sliders and menus is a chore. Scrolling is what works best there. That is why the format has taken over from the classic interactive graphic in newsrooms.
“Fueled by a high number of mobile readers, scrollytelling is quickly replacing interactive graphics as a preferred method for telling complex data stories.”
Jonas OeschNeue Zürcher ZeitungNZZ Open, 2020 It walks you through the story
Anyone explaining complicated data needs an order. Scrollytelling provides it, step by step.
“Something nice about scrollytelling […] is that it just walks you so linearly through a narrative.”
Mira RojanasakulThe New York TimesInterview at Storybench It shifted an industry
Shirley Wu is one of the best-known voices in data visualisation. Looking back, she asks whether anything since has moved the field as much.
“Has there been anything else since then that has been as industry shifting as scrollytelling?”
Shirley WuData visualisation artistConversation on the PolicyViz podcast, 2025 A tool, not a default
Scrollytelling is not a format for every news item. It shows its strength where something needs to be taken apart and explained step by step.
“Scrollytelling can be a powerful tool for dissecting information but it shouldn’t be the default for visuals.”
Jeremy C.F. LinBloombergSociety for News Design, SND44 jury Text, images, video and maps in one flow
At the Financial Times, scrollytelling is a storytelling format in its own right. According to the report on Sam Joiner’s talk, these stories are among the most engaged with.
“‘Scrollytelling’ […] is a way to dynamically tell multimedia stories that unfold as you scroll through images, video, maps, infographics, and text.”
FT StrategiesReport on a talk by Sam Joiner, Financial TimesFT Strategies Long since part of the craft
Research no longer treats scrollytelling as an experiment either. The study by three NZZ journalists describes the techniques of the format and puts them in order.
“In recent years, scrollytelling […] has become an integral part of online visual storytelling.”
Jonas Oesch, Adina Renner, Manuel RothInformation Design JournalScrolling into the Newsroom, 2022
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Sources
- Stuart A. Thompson, Interview in Nightingale: https://medium.com/nightingale/twelve-million-phones-one-dataset-zero-privacy-an-interview-with-the-new-york-times-stuart-a-e2988d398ba3
- Jonas Oesch, NZZ Open, 2020: https://medium.com/nzz-open/four-insights-from-our-first-scroller-77174e3397bc
- Mira Rojanasakul, Interview at Storybench: https://www.storybench.org/scrollytelling-innovation-new-york-times-journalists-on-climate-change-visualization-and-intense-teamwork/
- Shirley Wu, Conversation on the PolicyViz podcast, 2025: https://policyviz.com/podcast/shirley-wu/
- Jeremy C.F. Lin, Society for News Design, SND44 jury: https://snd.org/snd44-digital-judges-qa/
- FT Strategies, FT Strategies: https://programmes.ftstrategies.com/insights/news-in-the-digital-age-event-article
- Jonas Oesch, Adina Renner, Manuel Roth, Scrolling into the Newsroom, 2022: https://benjamins.com/catalog/idj.22005.oes