Designing Maps in News Stories

A Longitudinal Visual Content Analysis of Cartographic Design in US Data Journalism

Abstract

Here, we report on a longitudinal visual content analysis on mapping praxis in popular US news media outlets over the past decade. Maps are integral to data journalism, yet professional practice in storytelling with maps continues to outpace research and education. To fill this gap, we analyzed 119 online news stories containing maps published over two periods in 2014 and 2021 from the New York Times and Washington Post. We coded the sampled news maps according to three considerations: (1) conventional cartographic design (e.g., scale, projection, basemap, time, color depth, thematic map type, layout, map elements); (2) new digital technology (e.g., animation, interaction, real-time updates); and (3) visual storytelling techniques (e.g., story theme, genres, and tropes). The longitudinal visual content analysis provided a benchmark study for digital news mapping and yielded a number of insights into design trends, including: a decrease in the number and complexity of maps used in news stories; a shift away from mapping international stories towards domestic stories; a decrease in interactivity and an increase in animation due to a move towards mobile-first design and scrollytelling; an increase in mapping topics related to health, environment, and science; a decrease in the mapping of conflict, cultural affairs, and society; and, a decrease in the focusing attention trope, but an increase in metaphor and designer voice. Based on these findings, we argue for continued critical analysis of news maps within data journalism, and visual storytelling more broadly, because of their pervasiveness in new digital media and associated outsized influence on map audiences.