Faneuil Media

Last night I finally got around to checking out MAPLight.org.

Those of you who haven’t seen it should stop reading this post and go check it out. It’s amazing.

The site has nothing to do with maps – it’s about Money And Politics, and shining lots light on the subject in California.

Like Washingtonpost.com’s Congressional Votes Database, MAPLight provides access to legislative voting records. MAPLight also ads data on special interest groups and campaign contributions, making it easy to see connections between contributions and votes.

MAPLight’s staff comes from the non-profit sector, but I don’t see much difference between their work and the work of respected news organizations. Like journalists, these guys are in it because they believe in better access to information and increased transparency.

I see MAPLight as an indication that production of great database journalism – like great reporting – is not limited to mainstream media.

On a separate note, if you’re interested in more frequent information about Atlas, our new mapping tool, check out the new Atlas Map of the Day blog. I post Atlas tips and examples there three or four times a week. Today’s post is about fitting maps into your site’s template.