Louise Liu
Lost in the Newseum
Louise Liu
Spring 2016
“Journalism is the first rough draft of history.” This remarkable quote in 1963 came from Phil Graham, publisher and co-owner of one of the greatest American newspapers, The Washington Post. Today, half a century later, that quote was engraved on a wall at the Newseum, bestowing the greatest honor on journalists but also reminding them the huge responsibilities that fall on their shoulders.
The Newseum is one of the many field trips during the one-semester DC Study “Abroad” Program. It is a must-go place. For journalists like me, it is heaven on earth. As one of the most interactive museums in the world, the Newseum contains seven floors, 15 galleries, and 15 theaters featuring permanent exhibits like the Historic Front Pages Collection, and special exhibits like “Inside Today’s FBI.” Among all of them, my favorites are:
Pulitzer Prize Photographs Gallery
“If it makes you laugh, if it makes you cry, if it rips out your heart, that’s a good picture.” — Eddie Adams, winner of the 1969 Pulitzer Prize for spot news photography.
Pulitzer Prize Photographs Gallery
Located on the first level, this gallery includes photographs from every Pulitzer Prize-winning entry since 1942 when the award was first presented. The pictures there were stunning and most of them are heavy with emotions. My suggestion is to go to the mini theatre first: Watch the interviews with these prize-winning photographers to know the story before stopping at these pictures. Take your time to immerse yourself into the scenario; it is then you truly know what it means to say “a picture is worth a thousand words.”
The theater of the Pulitzer Prize Photographs Gallery is playing “A Glimpse of Life: The Pulitzer Photographs,” a 19-minute long video from interviews with the prize-winning photographers
Today’s Front Pages Gallery & 9/11 Gallery
“If a person goes to a country and finds their newspapers filled with nothing but good news, there are good men in jail.” — Daniel P. Moynihan
Today’s Front Pages Gallery
That quote was engraved on the top wall at the Today’s Front Pages Gallery. Each day, the exhibit displays 80 newspapers front pages from around the world. A front page can reveal how a particular region or country handles the day’s news. Also at the 9/11 Gallery, there is a wall covered from floor to ceiling by newspaper covers from all over the world of the unprecedented attacks. It was astonishing to see how the attack had captured world-wide attention at that time.
Side note: I was a little disappointed to see the People’s Daily, my country’s newspaper, had most of its front pages highlighting the nation’s leaders’ achievements instead of 9/11, a shocking contrast compared with the other countries’ front pages. I understand it’s the official newspaper of the Chinese Communist Party, but I expected more from them. In fact, the ordinary citizens in China don’t read the People’s Daily at all. It is not the major source for Chinese people to get information. A lot of newspapers are doing a good job to inform the citizens, but they may not be able, or allowed to be displayed anywhere beyond the government’s control.
9/11 Gallery
The Newseum is definitely one of my favorite places in Washington now; it reminds me why I wanted to become a journalist in the first place and also encourages me to become a better one. I will continue this path, stick to my mission, fight the good fight to help people understand what is happening in the world.
Louise Liu is a senior studying broadcast journalism and interning at NBC’s “Meet the Press”
