Spatial Knowledge and Information Canada, 2019, 7(4), 2 Exploring the potential for crowdsourced spatial information to inform debate related to the changing Canadian local news landscape JON CORBETT APRIL LINDGREN Community Culture and Global Studies School of Journalism University of British Columbia Okanagan Ryerson University jon.corbett@ubc.ca april.lindgren@ryerson.ca 1. Introduction ABSTRACT Citizens, politicians and academics are following the decline and disappearance of This paper investigates an applied local news in Canada with growing concern. participatory mapping research project that Local journalism in this country and enables members of the public to elsewhere faces what researchers have crowdsource information for Canada’s first described as an “uncertain future” (Nielsen, community spatial database documenting 2015, p. 2). U.S. researchers, for instance, contemporary changes to local news outlets. have documented the rise of local news This data is presented on the Local News deserts (Napoli, Weber, McCollough & Map, which locates where news Wang, 2018) and the emergence of “ghost organizations are closing or cutting back newspapers” where the few surviving services and where new outlets are launched reporters at a publication can no longer or services are increased. The tool, released adequately cover news in their communities in mid-2016 by Canadian academics, is a (Abernathy, 2018, p. 28). web-based, interactive platform that displays map markers and descriptive The debate over how to respond to the local information about changes to local news “crisis” (Gasher et al., 2016) in Canada television, radio, online sites and has been impeded by inadequate data newspapers dating from 2008 to the related to what is happening to news outlets present. Map filters allow users to select and at the local level, as well as the number and view specific information about these location of affected communities. changes. We explore the impact of the Politicians, (Canada, Parliament, House of project, demonstrating that the map has Commons, 2017), think tanks (Public Policy enriched the public sphere by generating Forum, 2017) and scholars (Ali, 2016) have robust empirical data on news outlets that all called for better data to inform the have shut down or launched or discussion. increased/decreased service in their communities. Specifically, we found strong This article contributes to the growing and ongoing demand from journalists who interest in ‘impact’ as it relates to use the platform’s data to provide context participatory mapping practice and for stories about the ongoing disruption in research. Specifically, we discuss the extent the local news sector. We also identify other to which the Local News Map, displaying impact indicators for further investigation. data from Canada’s first crowdsourced community spatial database, has informed the public debate about the state and future 2 Crowdsourcing change across the landscape of Canadian local news of local journalism in the country. The as the launch of new outlets or expansion of platform itself captures and displays existing services. The changes are presented changes to local news organizations by using location markers on a digital tracking broadcast, online and print outlets interactive map. that have closed or cut back services, as well Habermas conceived of the public sphere as 2. Background a place where the news media provided The use of digital mapping and spatial data discursive space for debating and visualization to investigate locally important deliberating important matters: “If, as issues is a growing area of interest in both democratic theory holds, democracy the discipline of geography and cartography. requires a well-informed and engaged Historically, cartographic theory focused on citizenry, then the media must provide the how best to characterize spatial data using resources - news, information and opinion - static representations of space (Kitchin, for a self-governing people to identify and Perkins & Dodge, 2009). The post- work towards matters of common concern” representational approach of more recent (Howley, 2007, 343). At the same time, cartographic theorists looks beyond what Kovach and Rosenstiel argue in their maps represent and instead explores their seminal text The Elements of Journalism, “effects on the world” (Kitchin, Dodge and that for journalism to be a public forum it Perkins 2011, 6). Viewed in these terms, must rest on a foundation of fact and digital web-based maps in particular are context. In the absence of that foundation, evolving interactive practices that offer they observe “the debate will cease to engaging data visualization tools and act as educate, it will only reinforce the knowledge generators. Furthermore, they preconceptions people arrive wwith, and hold the potential “to illuminate, uncover, the public will be less able to participate in and provoke insights and new connections” solutions” (2014, 210). (Allen & Queen, 2015, p. 91) and can be used to “solve diverse and context-dependent The map is a joint project of academics at problems” (Kitchin & Dodge, 2007, 342). the University of British Columbia and Integral to this perspective is the notion that Ryerson University. Analysis of its impact is contemporary digital maps, rather than timely in that many participatory mapping being fixed artifacts, are dynamic and projects, particularly those based in display an unfolding narrative. universities, fail to sufficiently articulate outcomes because “systematic The multi-disciplinary practice of measurements and indicators [of the] participatory mapping intentionally sets out impact on the social, cultural, political, and to address social issues (Corbett & organizational dimensions are almost totally Cochrane, 2017). The Local News Map absent” (Godin & Dore, 2004). There is, provides a good example of this because it nonetheless, a growing interest in the study explicitly aims to support the creation of a of impact, especially from funding agencies citizen-curated spatial database that and post-secondary institutions. Within the addresses the pressing need for up-to-date field of participatory mapping, there are also data on a rapidly evolving issue of national tensions that arise between different concern. understandings of “impact.” Impact can be understood from an academic perspective, In this article, we investigate the impact of i.e. which projects have yielded the most the Local News Map by evaluating its journal article citations. Impact can also be contributions to the public sphere, that is, understood from the viewpoint of the the extent to which it is informing public community of practice, i.e. which projects discussion about the condition of local resulted in substantive and sustained social journalism. German sociologist Jurgen or political transformation. There are Crowdsourcing change across the landscape of Canadian local news 3 further ambiguities that arise and interact and the owner of the news operation. For with these tensions; ambiguities around verification purposes, the pop-up also how impact is understood within academic includes links to stories, press releases and articles, policy documents, and reports to other informational sources related to that funding agencies, and whether the practice specific event. Filters allow users to sort the of participatory mapping truly influences markers by news outlet ownership, by change for the institutions, communities, or media type and by the nature of change individuals involved. (whether it is a new local media outlet or one that has closed or an operation that has 3. The Local New Map merged or increased or decreased service). The Local News Map, launched online in June 2016, was created to address the need As of October 1, 2018, when we last analyzed for a comprehensive dataset documenting the platform’s data, there were 471 markers changes to local news outlets across Canada on the map representing changes to local (Lindgren, Corbett & Hodson, 2017). It broadcast, newspaper and online news captures and displays crowdsourced data on outlets over the past decade. This included a digital interactive map. The information 260 news outlets of all types that have covers the time period from 2008 to closed in 190 different places. Community present. We chose 2008 as the starting newspapers (published fewer than five times point because it marked the beginning of per week) have been the hardest hit - 189 ‘The Great Recession’ and the collapse of have shut down since 2008. In contrast, advertising revenue that devastated many only 93 new local news operations have once-profitable local news outlets (Canadian launched in 69 different communities Media Concentration Research Project, (Lindgren and Corbett, 2018). 2017). 4. Methods Registered users can add information to the To answer our research question “Has the map through a simple wizard-driven Local News Map enriched the public sphere interface. Registration is managed by a by informing public discussion about moderator who also verifies that the development in local journalism?” we information submitted by the user is examined how frequently the map and its accurate. Each marker displays information associated data are mentioned and cited in about changes to a local media outlet news reports. The original Habermasian including: public sphere concept was criticized for  the closing, launch or merger of a news failing to acknowledge that public discourse outlet; was dominated by white affluent men -  service increases such a greater criticism that “underscores the problem of publication frequency for a community conceptualizing the public sphere as a paper; single, inclusive and comprehensive  service reductions such as a discursive space” (Howley, 2007, 345). We broadcaster’s decision to cancel/reduce therefore also explore the range of media the duration of a local newscast; sources that make use of the data in their  mergers of local news outlets that result reporting - to what extent are they providing in the launch of a new entity and/or the different publics with access to verified data closing of an existing news operation. and information about the state of local news in Canada? Users click on a map marker to view a pop- up window containing the name of the The list of media references to the Local media outlet, a short description of the News Map was assembled by combining the change that occurred, the date of the change authors’ list of map-related interviews, 4 Crowdsourcing change across the landscape of Canadian local news opinion columns, and data requests from closing three dozen publications journalists with the results of web searches. (Krashinksy Robertson, 2017). News stories We conducted the searches using various about the closings cited the Local News Map combinations of the key words “Local News data to provide context for what is Map,” “journalism,” “Canada,” “closing” happening to local journalism in general “newspapers” and “newsroom” and the (Healing, 2017). Longer features, names of the map’s authors. meanwhile, discussed the state of the newspaper industry in individual 5. Results: The map in the news communities (Miller, 2017). A total of 78 references to the Local News Map or its data appeared in news stories There is also evidence suggesting the map during the 29 months between June 2016 has had an impact on conversations about and November 2018. In cases where the local journalism in different public spheres, same story appeared in multiple media albeit some more so than others. Its reach outlets, we counted each story because the beyond mainstream English-language target audience was different in every case. media was limited. Rabble.ca was the only instance where an alternative news outlet A flurry of stories appeared when the map referenced the Local News Map and only initially launched, including, for instance, two French-language media outlets made an article on a popular website that focuses use of its data. That said, the map data did on Canadian journalism news. This article reach a variety of publics. While the discussed the map’s goals, how it worked majority (10) of national news organizations and the data it had generated up to that that referenced the map served the private point in time (Ghosh, 2016). Longer sector, its content was made available to the features subsequently cited the number of audiences of two public broadcasters - the newly launched local news outlets and the CBC and Ontario’s TVO. It was at the local number of news outlets that have closed. and regional level, however, where the map Map data have been requested and used to and its data contributed most significantly provide context in longer features about the to distinct conversations: Local media prospects of individual news outlets, serving nearly two dozen communities from including a Walrus magazine story that ran Victoria, B.C. and Whitehorse in the Yukon under the headline “Inside the Toronto to London, Ont., and St. John’s, N. B. Star’s bold plan to save itself” (Popplewell, carried broadcast interviews or news stories 2018). The data have also been used in in- - many of them generated locally, some of depth stories about the future of local them provided by wire services - that journalism overall. For example, the referenced its data. During a series of CBC Toronto Star story “Journalists are radio interviews in different Ontario vanishing. Who will fill the void?” explored communities in mid-October 2018, for the challenges faced by local news, the role instance, local hosts requested map data for of local journalism in communities and the province and explored how the loss of so possible solutions (Wallace, 2017). many community newspapers might affect coverage of municipal elections that were Demand for the data spiked when underway. At a regional level, the closing of journalists sought to make sense of several newspapers in Saskatchewan in late significant developments within the news 2017 led to a provincial call-in show on CBC industry. Seventeen of the 78 references to radio about the state of local news media map data, for instance, occurred in late and similar requests for province-specific November 2017 when the PostMedia and data on newsroom losses. TorStar chains announced they were exchanging multiple newspapers and then Crowdsourcing change across the landscape of Canadian local news 5 6. Conclusion Ali, C. (2016). Understanding Canadian The speed and scale of recent changes to local news ecosystems: An Canadian local media has been profound. international comparative approach. Understanding the nature of the disruption, pp 125-145 in Eds. Gasher, Mike, meanwhile, is about more than just Colette Brin, Christina Crowther, curiosity: Local news media play a critical Gretchen King, Errol Salamon and role in supplying what researchers have Simon Thibault. 2016 Journalism in identified as eight critical information needs Crisis: Bridging Theory and Practice of communities - a list that includes for Democratic Media Strategies in information about risks and emergencies, Canada. Toronto: University of health, education, transportation, economic Toronto Press. opportunities, the environment and civic Allen, T. & Queen, S. (2015). Beyond the and political information (Friedland, map: Unpacking critical cartography Napoli, Ognyaova, Weil and Wilson, 2012). in the digital humanities. Visible Language: The Journal of Visual Our research question asked about the Local Communication Research, 49(3), 79- News Map’s impact on the public sphere 98. and we found that it has indeed enriched both national and local conversations by Canada, Parliament, House of Commons supplying up-to-date data on changes to Standing Committee on Canadian local news ecosystems. The incorporation of Heritage. (2017). Disruption: Change map data into media stories that are widely and churning in Canada’s media circulated to different publics is, however, landscape. Retrieved from only one measure of the map’s impact. The http://www.ourcommons.ca/Content next step in evaluating the impact of this /Committee/421/CHPC/Reports/RP9 example of scholarly praxis will be to 045583/chpcrp06/chpcrp06-e.pdf evaluate the map as a tool for knowledge Canadian Media Concentration Research generation and its impact on the policy- Project. (2017). The Growth of the making process. 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