When to use multimedia techniques

The online journalism review discusses when to use multimedia technics to enhance a news story.
The article maintains that media organisations are increasingly looking at ways to enhance story coverage which is outside of their expertise and sees this as one of the biggest challenges

"Creating these rich media experiences is a commitment
of time and specialized talent that news organizations cannot – and should not –
afford for every story. This is the biggest challenge for news designers: Given
all the design options now available, how does one evaluate effort over return?
When does an integrated, interactive story work best in terms of users’
enjoyment and/or comprehension? When is it warranted to help with understanding
of the topic? Bottom line, when is it worth it?"

Their research looked differing treatments of stories,

Stories can be designed with either static content (the material just sits there, there is no movement) or dynamic content (the material moves.) In terms of how the user must engage with the content, stories can be designed to be passive (once the user has clicked to the page they can sit back, there is no action to take) or active (the content is designed so that the user must engage with it in order to fully experience the full set through selection of options or clicking to see the next portion.) Dynamic / active content is the type that is typically crafted using Flash

Its conclusions were

• Interactive presentations work best when you want users to…
  spend more time with the presentation;
  describe the experience as "enjoyable;"
  recall more of the information;
  recall your brand;
  feel entertained.
• 
  Static presentation work best when you want users to…
  "click to" all the of the presentation’s materials;
  perceive the site navigation as easy.

Should we present this story as an interactive?Before undertaking any large story project be sure to ask:
Who is the target audience for this story?

What do we hope to accomplish in telling this story to them?

Then use this decision-tool to see which approach to storytelling is best supported by the research in these studies:

Does the story concern elaborate or unfamiliar processes / procedures?

Is the level of interest in the topic high enough that people would be willing to figure out story navigation?

Does the story have value beyond the first few weeks? Is it likely to be a topic in the news again?
Is entertaining the audience more important than simply informing?

Is it important that the audience be able to recall specific facts from the story?

If the story is told in separate components, it is essential that all the components be viewed by the audience?

Do you hope the audience recalls where they saw the information?

If you answer yes to five or more of these questions then you should consider that the feature should be interacative.