There are times when one sound byte can tell a story. Or when a single tweet can give you all you need. But some times there are layers to a story. Some times there are complexities that need to be drawn out. When you want deeper, documentary-style storytelling, In Focus is your destination. This page is where you will find the most visually interesting and comprehensive multimedia reporting on Long Island.
Street Racer: The culture of speed on Long Island
For two years, Newsday has followed and filmed various Long Island drag racers. While some practice the sport legally, there exists a sub-culture of racers who do not. The consequences of those illegal street races have, at times, led to tragedy. For decades, there were three sanctioned drag strips on Long Island. But each has been shuttered, leaving many in the film to wonder, if Long Island still had a legal drag strip, would that curtail the amount of illegal racing?
The Last Trailer Park
Inside the last trailer park in Nassau County, a tight-knit community has dispersed after a spirited 9-year legal battle that the residents were never equipped to fight. Newsday followed the last remaining family as it struggled against a deadline to find an alternative to becoming homeless.
Miracle in 5th Period
On the eighth day of classes in September, Wisdom Lane Middle School eighth-grader Jessica Lemus of Levittown suffered cardiac arrest during fifth-period science class, and her heart stopped for 7 minutes. This documentary details how everyone's life has been changed - especially hers.
The Cost of Corruption
A dumpster-diving whistleblower shed light on alleged corruption in the town of Oyster Bay. After two years reporting on the story, federal investigators have brought charges against Nassau's top politician and his wife, and a town's supervisor, in a case that began with a local restaurateur.
In Love and Death
During the hardest period of their lives, families turn to Vanessa Zenz, a funeral director, for comfort during their grief. Her sincere care for her job and the people she meets and takes care of is anything but ordinary.
Hopkins, Trinidad and 9/11
The middleweight championship fight between Bernard Hopkins and Felix Trinidad was scheduled for Sept. 15, 2001. When terrorists attacked the World Trade Center on Sept. 11, the fight at Madison Square Garden was postponed for two weeks. Hopkins and other people who were at the Garden that night recall the emotions surrounding the event.
Warriors for life
A pair of teams from a small, underestimated Suffolk town claimed state basketball titles side by side, a feat that had not been accomplished by a public school on Long Island. Thirty five years later the Wyandanch Warriors reconnect to tell their story.
A Winning Team
Twins John and Joe Tardif were born prematurely and their parents were not sure they would survive. Now, 18 years later, Joe is an accomplished athlete who is a star player in baseball, soccer and basketball. John has cerebral palsy, uses a wheelchair and cannot speak, but he is Joe's biggest fan and never misses a game.
Chris Weidman: The Fighter and the Father
Explore the professional and personal lives of the former UFC champion Chris Weidman through a parallel video experience. Using a unique, dual-view technique, the viewer can toggle between two timelines, Weidman the father and Weidman the fighter.
Out of the Shadows: Remembering the Negro Leagues
Newsday examines the history of Negro League baseball and the breaking of Major League Baseball's color barrier.
East End farmer seeks seed revolution
Stephanie Gaylor, of Invincible Summer Farms, collects and sells seeds in the hopes of making Long Island a hotbed of heirloom diversity.
Thanksgiving Across Long Island
From paper turkeys to hiding coins in the mashed potatoes, you never know what’s going to happen at a Long Island Thanksgiving. For 2016, Newsday asked nine families to share with us their traditions and dinner table for a YouTube 360-degree video experience. You can look around the room by dragging your mouse on your computer or tilting your mobile device right, left, up or down.
