2004 UC Proceedings Abstract
 Do News Maps Shape Audience Perceptions? Track: State and Local Government Author(s): Catherine Lorbeer In 2003, the Reno Gazette Journal reported on Washoe County, Nevada's efforts to re-designate federal lands as part of the Regional Open Space Plan. With the aid of a colored map, newspaper readers learned about the extensive undeveloped lands proposed for open space, a land use transfer unprecedented in the County's history. More importantly, the story helped diminish public perceptions of uncontrolled regional growth. Not every news map has such logical impacts on the public, but the graphic tool undoubtedly affects the news audience. This paper considers the journalist's role in shaping audience perceptions of news stories by adding maps. The experimental research examines whether the presence or absence of a news map affects a reader's comprehension of the newspaper story. The research was conducted as part of a Masters thesis. The experiment also manipulated the graphic content of the news map to further test associations between pictures and words. Catherine Lorbeer Washoe County Community Development 1001 E. Ninth Street, Bldg A Reno , NV 89523 US Phone: 775-328-3626 Fax: 775-328-3648 E-mail: clorbeer@mail.co.washoe.nv.us |
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