Out of everything that has happened in World Politics this week, the visit to the Newseum was the event that stuck out the most for me. I have always been interested in journalism, and the way the 9/11 and Katrina exhibits captured the journalistic aspect of these events was fascinating. The exhibits themselves were impressive, although emotionally draining. The pictures and footage documenting the progression of the disaster at the world trade center brought me back to 2001, when I was only nine years old, seeing it on the evening news and not understanding as much as I do now, and not being able to see what changes that single event would cause. The journalists recording 9/11 seemed to be in a special class, not only experiencing the same feelings as everyone else, but also driven by a sense of duty to immortalize the day so that the country would never forget.
The Katrina exhibit was equally impressive, but the accompanying movie had a different tone than the 9/11 one. Whereas the 9/11 one focused on the stories of journalists documenting September 11th, the Katrina one was more focused on the journalists’ frustration with the government and the rest of the world, and a recurring theme was that they felt like they were the only people outside New Orleans who could understand the seriousness of the situation. Like 9/11, journalists covering Katrina seemed to be sharing a special kind of grief experienced only by them, self-styling themselves as the primary advocates of the victims. However, unlike 9/11, in which journalists were proud of their work in capturing that day, at Katrina, the journalists seemed disappointed in themselves for not being able to communicate sufficiently.
These exhibits, combined with the impact of the mostly horrific gallery of Pulitzer-winning photographs, and the stressing of fundamental principles and ideas on the First Amendment walk, really brought home to me both the importance and influence of mass communication in the modern world.
Angelica, I was also intrigued by what was portrayed about the journalistic world through the Katrina exhibit. When the hurricane hit, I was miles and miles away in New York. Although I followed the news, what I saw and heard was nothing in comparison to what the journalists on duty experienced. Revisiting the news coverage through the exhibit at the museum and seeing the progression of news stories was really eye-opening. At the time, I was so far removed from what was actually going on but reading the headlines at the museum made me remember how deeply affected I was by what I read in the papers. The exhibit made me realize how much the media influences public opinion and how truly necessary mass communication is.
ReplyDeleteDid you see the part of the exhibit titled “Rescue or Report?” Prior to visiting the Newseum, I had some knowledge of the challenges reporters face in their everyday work, but this display made me realize the breadth of it, and also question the ethics behind journalism. Reporters must struggle daily to balance their job of reporting a story, and being human. What I hadn’t thought about prior to the exhibit is what happens when reporters get to the scene of an incident before the rescue crews. How do they manage doing their job and responding to what they are witnessing at the same time? It was comforting to hear that many photographers and journalists put aside their work in order to respond to the pleading cries for help. But I am sure that there were those who, for whatever reason, could not put down their cameras and notepads. Is it ethical for reporters to shoot photos and document what they witness as victims of one of the most destructive disasters are begging for help? The debate of moral journalism is brought up daily and I imagine that this ethical question contributes greatly to the grief of many journalists who covered Hurricane Katrina.