What journalists need to know about maps and GIS
Or why journalists should go (way) beyond pins on a map. Last week I presented this topic to a small group of students, journalists-to-be. It is just a cartographer’s perspective, and I added a few experiences I had with CAR (computer aided reporting) myself. My presentation, as most of the time, had three parts:
Great story telling
For me Steve Doig was one of the first (great) journalists to use GIS to visualize the result of investigative reporting. After I met him, I personally got involved in election mapping some 10 years ago. An Esri Nederland team made it possible to have thematic election maps in the morning newspaper and later did the same online (Nederland Kiest). I presented today’s projects as well, which get really great headlines: Ultramapping comes to London in Wired (about Britain from above) and Sexing up data with VPRO at Picnic (about Netherlands from above). Great stories ahead about that last one!
The best of times for data journalists
There is an enormous increase in open data and open technologies. Government is pushing this forward in most countries, which is great news for journalists (…). It will still be an effort to collect and interpret data, but the current situation is much better than a decade ago. And the call for government transparancy gets louder every day.
Essential skills
I divided this in three parts: Understand the various technologies, the methodology, and the data; understand where geography, design and storytelling meet; understand how to get greater engagement with other professions, and with citizens. I added a few home cooked examples, just to show that once you have the data, visualizing data is not that hard anymore.
We are on a need to know basis
This part was meant as a test. We (the greater we) are not on a need to know basis, we really need to know! Maps are not that easy to make, they tell a truth and sometimes tell great stories. And that’s why we need great journalists.
The greater stories will map phenomena which go way beyond pins on a map. What is where may be interesting, but why it is there or how it relates to its surroundings is the greater challenge. Also for journalists-to-be.
– Collecting my thoughts on the topic and the opportunity to present them clearly is in the category ‘privileged to share’. If I have to attribute them to anyone, it would be my high school journalism teacher. I think he taught me more than he is aware.