NEWSEUM TRIP 11/4/13

FIFTH VISIT TO THE NEWSEUM: 

ONE OF MY FAVORITE SPOTS IN D.C.

THE NATIONAL NEWSEUM

Washington, D.C. -- The National Newseum: one of the few place in the United States that honors the work of a field journalist and the fine art of communications and media.

On Tuesday, November 5th 2013, the members of my Newsvision class and I took a trip to the National Newseum, located in the Archives area of Northwest D.C. The purpose of the trip, established for free by our professor Jennifer Thomas, was to compare some of the ethical standpoints that we have learned in class, practice stand-ups and other elements of a news package, and receive further knowledge about the history and archiving of media. This blog post is to honor some of my favorite exhibits at the National Newseum!

THE 9/11 EXHIBIT AT THE NEWSEUM

 

                                                                 The fifth time to the exhibit:
To this day, my favorite exhibit is the 9/11 feature, located on the fourth floor, because it brings me back memories of my experience that day. On September 11th, 2001, I was being dropped off to my 4th grade class in Rahway, North New Jersey. I was  about to hop out the car, around 8:49am when the programming on my favorite car radio station, Z-100 (100.3FM) announced that the world trade center just collapsed. I get into class, and there is pandemonium everywhere I turn. Teachers, rushing students into seats, secretaries, stopping by each classroom and talking to teachers, and kids, just sitting there in quiet not really sure what is going on. Around 9:30, the Principal gets on the intercom and announced that our country is currently under attack.  The principal notified us when a second plane crashed in the Pentagon, when the second Twin Tower collapsed.

Around 12pm, I was finally picked up by my father.

 

My mother worked at a hospital in North New Jersey, a town overlooking the New York Skyline. We hopped on the New Jersey parkway, where the smoke was in full vision. It looked like we were driving closer, and closer. We were able to retrieve my mother by 2pm and bring her home in safety. I will honestly never forget September 11th, 2001. There was honestly nothing like witnessing it in the forefront.



The New York Times, Sept. 12 2001

The best part of the exhibit: Everyone who knows me, knows my personal connection to 9/11 (seeing the smoke, trying to get my mother out of her hospital job on the New York Skyline, etc) and each time I visit that exhibit I remember the event. The main feature of the exhibit includes a 10 minute movie feature on 9/11, where you can sit down and see the review the moments of the incident, how it was reported on, and personal testimonies. 

My favorite part of the exhibit: Has to be the entrance, which shows a montage of every single front page of a major newspaper in the United States (and others throughout the world) front page cover of September 12th, 2001. My family still has the New York Times Newspaper from the next day; classic.



THE PULITZER PRIZE PHOTOGRAPHS

The fifth time to the exhibit: One part of the newseum I make sure I always visit is the wall that contains all of the winning Pulitzer Prize photographs over the past generation. 

The best part of the exhibit: Everyone says- a picture is worth 1000 words, rights? Well these pictures usually one an award for the following: capturing an incredible, magnifying, or tragic moment in the United States. 
My favorite part of the exhibit: Has to be the war pictures (WWI and WWII) and anything in the mid 1950's. I think that pictures at the time really helped tell the story of print. They also because future news elements when Broadcast News rose in the 50's and 60's. 

PRESIDENT JOHN F. KENNEDY 

The fifth time to the exhibit: This is the second time that I watched the tribute to President Kennedy located on the fourth level of the newseum. 

The best part of the exhibit: Everyone likes the actual exhibit, which is located outside of where they show the movie screening. 
My favorite part of the exhibit: The movie really gives you an in depth look at his life: from marriage, to a senator, to the President of the United States. The movie goes into details about some of the scenarios that occurred under his presidency, such as the "Bay of Pigs" and the "March on Washington." The majority of the film shows his assassination. 

Conclusion: My experience at the National Newseum was enjoyable! Especially being at a point where many of my classmates (who I have grown with and even visited with) will soon be separating and entering the massive media industry! I look forward to my future visits here and hopefully one day will be able to speak on a panel :)