New Book by Missouri Journalism Professor Focuses on the Benefits of GIS in Journalism

David Herzog Newspaper Journalism Faculty

David Herzog, Mapping the News: Case Studies in GIS and Journalism. Redlands, CA: ESRI Press, 2003.

Columbia, Mo. (Sept. 10, 2003) -- Mapping the News: Case Studies in GIS and Journalism, a new book by Missouri School of Journalism assistant professor David Herzog, details how geographic information systems (GIS) technology guides journalists to where news is happening as they strive to bring information to the world.

Herzog specializes in using geographic information systems (GIS) tools to report the news and uses his expertise to educate and inform students and professionals alike. As an academic adviser for the National Institute of Computer-Assisted Reporting (NICAR) since January 2002, he instructs working journalists and students in how to tap databases of governments and other institutions for important stories. NICAR is a joint program of the Missouri School of Journalism and Investigative Reporters and Editors (IRE), a global association of journalists headquartered at the school.

According to Herzog, journalism students who study GIS technology are well prepared for their reporting careers. "Missouri students understand the tools and how to make them work. This hands-on experience gives them an advantage when they enter the work force, he said."

Before joining the school, Herzog spent five years as an investigative reporter at the Providence Journal in Rhode Island, where he used computer-assisted reporting to cover public corruption. Earlier, he was the editor for computer-assisted reporting at The Morning Call in Allentown, Pa., a business reporter for the Baltimore Sun and a general assignment reporter for other newspapers in Pennsylvania.

Mapping the News includes step-by-step examples and full-color illustrations that detail GIS functions and how they have assisted reporters in different situations. A copy of Mapping the News has a list price of $19.95. It is available at bookstores, online at http://www.esri.com/esripress, or by calling 1-800-447-9778.