Additionally, symbols represented various types of stories (ex. accident, politics, etc). This is an excellent way to visually show the news and a tremendous tool for readers, especially those unfamiliar with the Granite State who may have been directed to a Union Leader story from an external Web site.
Of course, other news organizations have already utilized this. The Boston Globe has used Google Maps to mark campaign contributions and Boston homicides. CBS News has an download for Google Earth that maps all the station’s news stories each day (depicted above). And many television stations use satellite images on the air, especially if they are covering breaking news and do not have any video from the scene.
Traditionally, news has been organized predominately by what an editor judges is most important and then by region/state. Now, readers (and viewers) can obtain the day’s news solely based on geography.
Obviously the age-old practice of news judgment is still essential and how most – if not all – people generally obtain their news. But integrating mapping sites and programs to the fullest extent possible will increase news organization’s Web site’s visibility and readership and eventually become a staple on-line reporting technique.
In the realm of environmental journalism, this has some obvious applications from displaying the location of a potential new piece of conservation land to visually depicting endangered species population figures. A reporter working on a story about migratory birds could utilize maps to show the bird’s annual flight south.
Google Earth already has some environmental content, including a depiction of mountain top removal in the Appalachian Mountains and satellite photos showing the growth of cities and deforestation. However, much of this comes from environmental organizations like the Worldwide Fund for Nature and United Nations Environment Programme rather than the traditional media.
This is a resource just waiting to be fully tapped into by newspapers, television stations and on-line news sites.
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