Post Fact Checker

This was a comment I received after posting my blog about the designer awarded the contract to produce a revised map for the Washington, D.C. Metro rail system: Worth Noting - D.C. Metro Cartographer. The anonymous writer gave me more information about the development of the Metro map and a former partner of Lance Wyman who has his Washington, D.C. business, Bill Cannan and Company / Design Consultants. At the Cannan Website is an link about the makings of the map that I found interesting - other D.C. projects are able to be accessed there as well. Here are the blog viewer's comments:

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Government contracts are awarded by somebody at WMATA picking up the phone and calling someone and offering them $50,000 now?

Webpage layout - Bill Cannan

FYI - Lance Wyman had a partner from 1970-1980. A simple Google lookup finds this... http://www.billcannandesign.com/index.html

Unlike Mr. Wyman, his partner gives him due credit and respect on HIS web page detailing the Metro contract "Rock star?" "Icon?"

Does ANYBODY at the [Post] fact check anymore? Do they even spend 5 minutes doing an internet search?

Government contracts are awarded to "iconic rock stars" because, well, the Post thinks that's cool?

What about Mr. Cannan? According to his website, he also worked on the Green line maps in the early 90's.

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I cannot get worked up over a feature article in the newspaper - the Washington Post and the New York Times are my favorite sources of news and other information. It is hard to gauge whether this is a large issue the anonymous commenter raises, or no issue at all. Regardless, it is fun to find out more about the work of talented people who contributed to a project like the Metro Map that has staying power, even if after a short few decades it needs to be updated. As for the cost of the new map, maybe Cannan put in a bid for $100,000 and lost out to Wyman;s $50,000 - regardless, both obviously do the kind of work that makes them virtuosos.
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The title: "Post Fact Checker" has multiple meanings. a) A fact checker of Washington Post feature articles; b) A fact checker of my blog post - Worth Noting - D.C. Metro Cartographer; and c) An after-the-fact fact checker - opposite of fact checking before a post or Post feature are posted.

Worth Noting - D.C. Metro Cartographer

Graphic artist Lance Wyman

I have made the Washington, D.C. Metro train a part of my work life. For all of the business trips downtown from Beltsville - I can count on one hand the times I have ridden in a car or taken a shuttle. Since the first time I took the train, the map of the rail system stood out as an easy-to-use device that never failed - whether the one posted near every door of every train car, or the standard or large-print versions available at the stations, or the on-line one only a click away from a local map of city - the map never fails to get me to where I need to be. So in today's Web-edition of the Washington Post, the first article I noticed was about the redesign of the 30-year-old map to reflect the recent and up-coming changes to the system. As usual, the story-behind-the-story (a redesigned map) is interesting enough in itself, along with a Sunday morning cup of coffee.
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New York graphic artist Lance Wyman who designed the Metrorail system's map more than 30 years ago has been hired to reinvent it. Changes will include adding on the new Silver Line to Dulles International Airport and integrating other changes to the map, without ruining, as the Washington Post article states, "its clean, classic look." Wyman's craft is seen around other District places of notice including the National Zoo, the old Convention Center, the Library of Congress, and on kiosk maps all around the Capital's National Mall.

Previous blogs that have mentioned the Washington, D.C. Metro train system include: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10.

I have decided to nominate the artist for the Virtuosos Are Their Own Reward Award, after the song by Leo Kottke from his Shout Towards Noon album.