When journalism, virtual reality, and unclear App Store guidelines collide

[Commentary] As virtual reality becomes cheaper and easier to access, the ways content developers might explore the new medium have expanded accordingly. For example, “virtual reality journalism” -- a field I have focused on for the past few years -- can enable immersive stories in which users put on a headset or use their smartphone to transport themselves inside a real-life scenario. Sometimes, they offer 360-degree camera footage from real locations like The Nepal Quake Project. Other apps use virtual content to retell a real-life story, like my first piece, Ferguson Firsthand. But what happens when app-driven journalistic experiences -- especially about the kinds of sensitive stories that are ideal for reported depth and their focus on empathy -- run into gatekeepers who typically deal with game and productivity apps? In Ferguson Firsthand’s case, the result was a phone call from an App Store representative who said my creation had violated the store’s “inappropriate subject matter” guideline.

[Dan Archer is the founder of Empathetic Media]