Among those outlets that are leveraging 360-degree video for the inauguration are such prestige publications as The New York Times and USA Today, and other brands offering mobile content for the event include The Wall Street Journal, PBS NewsHour and Fox News. Friday?s inauguration, an event already igniting equal parts vindication and controversy, is sure to become one of the most viewed political events of the year, and these brands? willingness to experiment with platforms will also make it a crucible for media innovation in an increasingly unpredictable news cycle.

?Part of our core mission has always been making sense of a complicated world,? said Russ Torres, vice president of video content and strategy at USA Today Network. ?Video, and the advancements in VR, are an extension of that mission. 

?VR is a mobile first medium and is hand in glove with our mobile approach,? he said. ?We?re entering a period where we are likely to see great change in our country. 

?We want to make sure that we?re providing readers information, particularly in politics, that helps them understand and see how that change may impact or enhance their lives.?

USA Today?s stream will include multiple VR camera angles positioned at the Capitol, the National Mall, and along the inaugural parade route, using a Nikon KeyMission 360 camera that allows live streaming in 360-degrees via in-camera stitching.

This event will be the first live stream VR content produced by USA Today Network on its VRtually There show. Launched in October 2016 as an ad-supported weekly VR show, VRtually There has reached more than five million views on multiple platforms.

?VR helps re-enforce our fact-based journalism,? Mr. Torres said. ?When you think about it, VR is the ultimate in transparency. 

?It provides readers a 360-degree view and the power to look around and explore, essentially putting you in the middle of events as they unfold,? he said. ?The viewer makes the choice of what they want to see, in a full 360-degree view.  

?We?re not there yet, but we may yet see a day where VR becomes an essential tool in the pursuit of fact based storytelling.?

The New York Times newsroom is also planning extensive coverage of the inauguration, and it would be inaccurate to categorize its own endeavor with immersive coverage as an experiment?the newspaper has been producing a daily 360-degree news segment, The Daily 360, since late last year. 

The Times? 360-degree coverage will be held in conjunction with a standard livestream, both of which can be viewed on the newspaper?s mobile-optimized Web site. Users interested in viewing the 360-degree coverage on other platforms can also leverage the Top Stories feature in the NYT app and The Daily 360?s own mobile optimized Web site. 

The newspaper is also planning a 360 degree video that will include the swearing in ceremony and vantages from on the mall the parade and the protests.

?During important news events, people often want to be there,? said Marcelle Hopkins, executive producer for 360 news at The New York Times. ?Immersive video puts our audience on location and allows them to experience these events in a new way. 

?They can look around and see an unfiltered, unframed view of what's happening. (It is) one of the many tools we use in our fact-based journalism?it can provide access to hard-to-reach places, people and stories.?

Fox News will also be live streaming the inaugural proceedings on its Fox News application, which will be accompanied by an up-to-the-minute live blog. Viewers can also follow along on social media by following the Fox News Facebook or Twitter page. 

PBS NewsHour has partnered with Twitter to live stream special coverage of the Inaugural proceedings which will be hosted by managing editor Judy Woodruff, with NewsHour correspondents John Yang reporting from the steps of the U.S. Capitol and Lisa Desjardins from the National Mall. 

And The Wall Street Journal?currently the only major U.S. newspaper with a presence on Snapchat?will be publishing inauguration specific coverage via Instagram stories, Snapchat stories and Snapchat Discovery, likely a play at the minds of recently-galvanized millennials looking for accessible political coverage.