A Look At The Boston Marathon Bombings

On April 15, 2013, Boston's annual Marathon was close to a finish as two bombs detonated on the finish line, killing three and wounding hundreds.  Since that grim day in April almost two-years ago, the city of Boston, along with all of New England, has anticipated to begin the trial of the accused, Dzhokhar Tsarnaev.  

As all of those await the trail, The New York Times kept minds refreshed with an article on what we know about the bombings.  Along with Q and A's throughout the article, included were interactive  timelines and features including interviews with those closest to the bombs when they went off, as well as first-responders, in addition to the multiple pictures of the scene, the days following, and almost two years later how Boston continues to show their strength.   

I believe one the most effective uses of multimedia throughout this article is the interactive reconstruction of the scene of the bombs, pictured above.  Upon clicking on the different tabs, the reader is capable of not only knowing the times in which the fatal events occurred, but the places, and the surrounding areas that were affected as well.





"Before the Attack," shows the path in which the two accused walked, prior to detonating.









"First Bomb," shows the positions of multiple victims, as well as windows that were shattered due to the blast.













"Second Bomb," shows the scene of the crime just down the street in which the first bomb detonated, which also included positions of multiple victims, and shattered windows.

"After the Attack," shows the way in which Dzhokhar exited following the bombs, including a picture of him walking away without his backpack, which is known to have carried the bomb.  

The second interactive feature tells the stories of those pictured in the image, shown above, that "shows the flash of the explosion and the final split-second of normalcy before the area turned into what witnesses described as a war zone."

I believe that this feature makes what happened on this day more relatable.  Pictured are all citizens, who came to run, or spectate Boston's tradition.  They never expected to be in a war zone, or almost have their lives taken.  Hearing their stories, and recollections of what occurred that day prove that it could have been anyone in their places.



As well as the interactive features, there are multiple still photos, and countless links throughout the article that take you to previous articles on different stories about what happened on that day, in which The New York Times previously covered.  One of which I found most moving was an article, "A Restorative Triumph After the Bomb Blasts," which covered a group of 28-runners who were injured during the 2013 bombings, yet still crossed the 2014 finish line.  Upon reading the linked articles, I found myself at times very emotional, which I accredit to the all of the additions to the original article.  Having a published New York Times article is an accomplishment in it of itself, but having an article that really gives the reader an in-debt look into something that has shaped our country, is what The New York Times is known for.

The interactive features have proven to be a strength for this article.  A picture is worth a thousand words, but when you can interact with the photos, they become all the more valuable.  Having visited the sight of the bombings, it was hard to grasp that such horror could have occurred in what seems like such a welcoming, and happy place.  However, after reading and going through the multimedia in this article, I better understand the events that have made Boston Strong.  That being said, I do not believe that there is anything that I would change about this article.  I believe that this article has all that a reader would look for when reading on such topic.

http://www.nytimes.com/2015/01/02/us/boston-marathon-bombings-trial-what-you-need-to-know.html?d-nav