Local news at a simple glace (update)

Few days ago, Jan Martynowski, one of the online journalists of Concentra (the publisher of the two regional newspapers hbvl.be and gva.be) sent me an email to draw my attention on a new application hbvl.be recently started. Since the newspaper's focus is on regional and local news, online readers can insert their postal code to get referred to the news from their neigbourhood. Since few days, it is not only possible to select the news based on the postal code. A google map makes it able to visualize the region and to select the news by clicking on on specified city or village and further on by clicking at a specific news item (which are represented by flags on the map). Users can select which neigbourhood, which period and which type of news (e.g. general news, fire, theft, accident) they want to see on their screen.

In my opinion, the option provided by the newspaper to choose between a postal code or a google map is the right one. Perhaps they should focus even more on the latter option, since clicking on a map is more tempting then inserting a postal code. It provides the news at a simple glace on the google map. Can it be easier? I wonder how long it will take until the other regional newspaper, gva.be, will adopt this great feature.

Update: It seems that also Het Nieuwsblad Online started to use this kind of feature. As predicted, also GVA.be already uses maps to visualize local news.

ECREA symposium @ Brussels

Today, I presented a paper at the ECREA symposium in Brussels on "The Myth of the Global Internet", organised by the Free University of Brussels. In 'speaking of meta; questioning the internet as a homogeneorus and global news medium', I discussed some of my theoretical approaches and conclusions from the content analysis and online survey I conducted during the last two years.

Since there were not all too many participants, the discussions after the presentations was more profound than this is usually the case. I especially enjoyed the lecture and critical thoughts of today's keynote speaker, Prof. Andrew Calabrese. I also want to thank Prof. Van Audenhove and Prof. Morganti for inviting me at this symposium.

Refering from online to offline

Maybe not as unusual as it seems to be at first glance, but I found it rather strange to read this article on Gva.be
It is kind of a teaser for an article in the print edition of the newspaper. In the end of the online article, the journalist writes 'more in Gazet van Anwterpen' (= the offline paper). Normally, print papers refer to the online digital paper to provide extra information, but in this case, the opposite is true. As I read this article around midnight, I also wonder in which edition of the newspaper I can read this article: today's print newspaper or that of tomorrow?

The immediacy of online news

Live, minute-to-minute coverage of the Police concert in Antwerp on Nieuwsblad.be
We've already seen this with all kinds of sports activities, but in my opinion, this is the first time with regard to a music concert in Belgium. If not, let me know!