We started with the gallery of Pulitzer Prize winning Photographs.  The subject matter, locations, and emotions depicted had almost nothing in common.  According to Eddie Adams, “If it makes you laugh, if it makes you cry, if it rips out your heart, that’s a good picture.”  Well, by that standard, there were a lot of good pictures in that exhibit.  I don’t know if I have ever seen an exhibit more moving in so many different ways.  The Newseum has an online exhibit, but it is only a shadow of what I saw.  http://www.newseum.org/exhibits-and-theaters/permanent-exhibits/pulitzer/videos/pulitzer-prize-photos.html

Afterwords, we headed to the sixth floor.  Where they had the exhibit about the coverage of Hurricane Katrina.  I don’t really remember 9/11 as an event.  I know what I was told, what I have seen now, but on the actual day, my mom only told my sister and me that there had been a plane crash and that people would be sad the next few days.  But I remember Katrina.  I saw the stories, read the articles, listened to coverage on NPR.  It is the disaster of the last decade that I remember watching unfold.

At the time, I didn’t realize how important the reporters were.  I didn’t realize that they were the connection between the people dying and the people who can help, as one journalist put it. In so many instances, especially Katrina, the utter devastation outways convention.  And as journalists cried, saved lives, railed against officials for the lack of help, and identified with the victims,  they seemed to be saying “screw convention and ‘correct journalism’, emotion leads to action which leads to change.”  And things did change.  Many people in the Blue group commented on how when disasters such as the earthquake in Haiti occur, the United States government is there to help almost immediately, but when Katrina hit, they did almost nothing.  I think that maybe it was the emotion, the spotlight on the lack of help and the flawed system, the human aspect of the story, and the aftermath of the coverage of Katrina that helped lead to this immediate response.  If it leads to something better or an improved social condition or reform where it is needed, it must be acknowledged that sometimes, emotion is essential to tell the story that is needed.

Those were just two of the many wonderful exhibits at the Newseum. It was just a really cool place with incredible artifacts, exhibits, and staff.  If you go to DC, I recommend visiting it.

The exhibits at the Newseum raised many questions.  In our small group, we discussed and debated ethics, conventions of journalism, and the media’s role in disasters.  Everyone has their own answers.  What do you think?

• If you had the choice to take a picture or help a starving child, what would you choose?
• What if helping the child would risk your own life and stop your ability to bring exposure to the issue?
• What if it were not a starving child, but a man in a war?
• Should you be a reporter or a human first?
• How involved in a story should a reporter be?
• Does emotion help or hinder telling the story that needs to be told?
• If you were given your dream job, but there was a clause in your contract saying that you could never get involved in the story, even at the cost of life, what would you do?
• Is there a difference in the ethics of Journalists when covering stories nationally and globally?

That’s our opinion, we welcome yours…

a.  Name?

b.  What are you about?

c.  What can they do for you?

From the airport to 11pm, I had many chances to practice Mike’s method.

1.  The airport greeting crew

2.  My fellow bus riders

3.  Check-in workers

4.  Mike

5.  Three group members

6.  IT people

7.  Roommates

8.  Housing and Residency workers

9.  Blue group

10.  More of Blue group

11.  More of Blue group

12.  More of Blue group

13.  More of Blue group

14.  Mike, again

15.  Last of Blue group

16.  Fellow diners

17.  Random guy looking for somewhere to sit at dinner

18.  Faculty member who ate with us

19.  Random people standing in line waiting to ask a question

20.  Small group within Blue group

21.  Different Housing and Residency workers

22.  Curfew checker

Hopefully I will be ready for introducing myself to one of the most inspiring women today, Hoda Kotb.