Newseum Trip

Last week, my NewsVision class had the opportunity to attend the first ever Newseum in Washington DC. This has always been one of my favorite Museums because it was designed for something that I am really interested in which is, of course, the news. Furthermore, the museum also provides pertinent information on why the news is so important. One of my favorite rooms and probably what stands out to me the most in the museum is when you first enter and you see the Pulitzer Prize-winning photos. Although I have been to the museum numerous times, this room never gets old because I seem to always see a new photo every time. Its almost impossible to not see a new photo when entering this room, or one photo to stand out in particular. Furthermore, this room is also so important because it shows the extreme measures that some people go to just to provide citizens with their right to know. It also shows that even when placed in uncomfortable situations the most important thing is to make sure you get the news, and that can be one of the most challenging parts of being a journalist. But I commend those that take their job that serious and it is shown in these pictures.

One important part of a journalist is the First Amendment. Because of the First Amendment protecting us, the journalist is able to defend our right to know and let citizens know exactly what’s going on in the world. Without this right, much of what we see on news could be hidden but because we have the freedom of speech we see on TV is brought to the light. Furthermore, this right also played an important role in the coverage of the Civil Rights Movement. White People down south try to keep it the racism and segregation hidden but the news was able to broadcast this for the entire world to see. The news was able to bridge the gap between the people up north and south to know exactly what was going on. Those that were in the north, of course, faced racism, but the extremity of life down south was shown on the news. The news even created a space for a black journalist to also participate and showcase the what was happening down south. For example, at Martin Luther King Jr’s funeral Coretta Scott demanded that a black photographer is in the audience. And because of that Black Photographer, we have the picture of Bernice sitting on her mother’s lap. Furthermore, when Emmett Till was murdered, his mother demanded an open casket and Ebony magazine had a layout of his battered body in the magazine. Because of the news being broadcasted my generation is still able to look back and see how rough it was for African Americans during the 50s, 60s, and even the 70s. We are able to still have these conversations even 50 years later in the classroom and the news plays an important role in that.

Another important moment that Journalist covered was the attacks on 9/11. Although I was just 5 years old when this happens the news played an important role in me knowing about these attacks because of their quick coverage. The news was able to get hundreds of pictures of the buildings, attacks and the victims which caused the attacks to really hit home. Furthermore, the news played an important role in investigating why this happens and trying to answer the world’s questions. This attacked changed the lives of almost everyone because it left people scared, disshelved and puzzled. But without the news, much of the questions we had could have been left unanswered.