Journalistic cartography on the web: a comparison of print and online maps in seven major American newspapers

Abstract

This chapter compares the use of maps in seven major U.S. newspapers in print and online formats during a two-month sampling period. Recent advances in interactive, multimedia, and web-based cartography offer new possibilities for integrating maps with news stories. This chapter asks how these new technologies are being used and how maps in online and print editions differ. The research found that interactive and multimedia maps are not widely used in online editions and, indeed, online maps are not always well integrated with stories. Furthermore, the disparity in size and resolution between print and online editions leads to a range of compromises involving the absolute and relative sizes of maps, placement on the page, and position with respect to text. Interviews with newspaper staff indicated that lack of staff and time and the separation of production between print and online editions often prevented better integration. Although this study focuses on U.S. newspapers, its findings highlight problems faced by newspapers worldwide in making effective use of online cartography.