I was not prepared to go to the Newseum today. I was not at all aware of how emotionally draining it would be. As an eternal skeptic of the media, I never expected myself to appreciate that museum as much as I did today.
Walking through the “Covering Katrina” exhibit was so familiar, yet so foreign. All the headlines were words I had heard before, but hearing them from the perspective of the reporters themselves was new. Their indignation in how long it took relief to arrive, their own personal fears when ensuring that their families survived, and their dedication to getting the story told despite all the elements against them (pun intended).
The September 11th exhibit was unforgettable. I’m completely confident that I was not the only one that teared up during the video. Even though we all know what happened and we have had nine years to get ourselves used to these facts, it is still absolutely heart wrenching to watch footage of this tragic event. This is something that America’s history can never overlook and the Newseum did a commendable job in covering it.
By far, my favorite section of the museum was the coverage of Pulitzer Prize photos over the years. It especially intrigued me how many of the pictures were taken out of mere chance. A photographer saw movement and quickly snapped the picture, unaware of how much emotion and legitimate story value they caught in that one image. It is difficult to choose a favorite. In fact, I’m not going to choose my favorite. I just want to point out the 1958 winner with the image of the playful little boy and the police officer. As the description of the photo said, the photographer managed to capture the identity of childhood innocence in that one boy’s face. (http://ohs-image.ohiohistory.org/images/about/pr/ctm/1958.jpg)
That’s an image I can never forget. Furthermore, the Newseum is a place I can never forget.
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