According to the Encyclopaedia Britannica, the oldest documented example of journalism was in ancient Rome. Said to date from before 59 BCE, the Acta Diurnal chronicled important daily events—some official (court news, government decrees) and partly private (notices of births, marriages, and deaths). As with journalism for the next few millennia, these communiques bound the society together by sharing information. But a more ancient way of sharing information was through the creation of maps—the earliest of which have been found in cave paintings, showing the location of hunting and fishing territories.
Maps are a significant component of the California Local website. Our Santa Cruz County Traffic & Transportation map shows congestion areas, real-time updated traffic cameras, and lane closure reports. And just launching this week are six new maps showing such amenities as public restrooms, dog parks, other open spaces, birding spots and the Santa Cruz Rail Trail.
The most significant of these, however, is a map of bicycle routes created in collaboration with members of the cycling community. California Local co-founder Chris Neklason, who built the maps, sees this collaboration as a fundamental part of community journalism. In a blog post titled “How Community Journalism Works Online,” Neklason writes that California Local’s methods of “providing an account of the community” will include members of the community “participating in the making and shaping of the account.”
Launched just a few days ago—auspiciously during Bicycle Safety Month—the Santa Cruz County bike map is the type of interaction that embodies this participation. The map is live now, but that’s only the beginning. We invite local cyclists to join the discussion and share their knowledge.
