Taking advantage of a business trip, I was fortunate enough to go back toWashington, D.C. (Washington D.C.) I spent a small weekend here. I've heard from my colleagues that the Press Museum is a must-visit in Washington DC, so this was the main focus of my trip here. I thought I could finish the tour in one morning, but I didn't realize that the exhibitions were so well organized, the video, audio, and exhibits were all well-designed, and people couldn't help but stop and linger at almost every stop, so I spent almost a whole day there, and I have to introduce this museum in an article.
Table of Content
Newseum | Introduction
NewseumUnlike other famous museums in downtown DC, it is not part of the free smithsonia museum series, so you have to pay to enter the museum, weekday tickets cost $20 per person, and you can enter the museum for two consecutive days. I was very lucky this time, the date of my trip coincided with the Bank of America Credit Card Free Museum Event, I was able to redeem my credit card for a ticket to the museum.
Compared to other museums, the newseum's exhibition route is well-designed and clearly labeled. As soon as you enter the museum, you will see a big sign instructing you to start from the orientation area on the ground floor, and after you finish the first floor, it is recommended to visit from the sixth floor down to the first floor. We followed the design of the exhibition route and found it very rewarding and recommend following this route.
The first stop of the line was the orientation on the first basement floor, where there were three screening rooms, each showing a different movie, and it took more than half an hour just to watch these movies. The first one is a must-see movie about the Museum of Journalism, which not only introduces the design and exhibits, but also gives a brief introduction to the history of journalism. The second is about the history of sports journalism and the videos are very interesting. Not only is the content knowledgeable, but the museum has the advantage of media expertise and each video is made in such a way that people can easily be captivated.
1F | Berlin Walled City
On the right hand side of the movie area, there is an exhibition on news from the time of the division of East and West Germany. From this point onwards, most of the exhibition areas, instead of being news, can actually be regarded as history museums. I had a very vague impression of the East-West German Secession, but after visiting this area, I felt like I was there, and I can't forget this part of the history even if I want to.
There are not many exhibits here, except for the severed head of the Lenin statue in the entrance area and the part of the Berlin Wall that was moved here, there seems to be no other big exhibits. However, the Museum of Journalism is famous for its rich and well-planned presentation of audio-visual materials. The exhibition area displays many interviews and news footage in the order of historical events, supplemented by textual explanations. From the reasons for the division of East and West Germany, to the attitudes and positions held by the United States, Russia and other major powers during the war, to the helplessness and pain of the people who were inexplicably separated from their loved ones for several decades, the news footage is presented in front of our eyes.
The exhibition area is separated by a portion of the Berlin Wall, which was transported from Berlin. The tower on the right of the photo is the East German guard tower, called the death tower, which was under the control of the Russian Communists, who used high-handed tactics to rule the country, and had a very strict control of the border. This tower was used to monitor the people in the border area, and if someone tried to pass through the border, the soldiers on the tower would shoot at the people directly. on one side of the wall where the death tower is located is a news exhibition consisting of images and text, which is displayed along the time line from left to right. around the wall, visitors start from the left side of the division era, from the simple division of the territory at first, and then the line moves to the center, where the news on display is also displayed. As the hostilities between the two sides begin to heat up: the Russian Communists have built the Wall; and reading the news on the right, the sequence moves through the years as the Russian Communists gradually lose their international influence and control over East Germany. The final scene shows the fall of the Berlin Wall, with people from both sides rushing to the wall and climbing it to celebrate their reunion. All along the way, we were accompanied by video and audio news, gradually deepening our understanding of this period of history.
This is the free West German side of the wall, on which West Germans can graffiti as they please, and on which many West Germans try to peek.
The walls on the East German side of the border are much more serious, with no other color than concrete. The exhibition also mentions that East Germans living on the border could only dial a special number from a telephone booth at regular hours to receive news and information from the West German side.
From the time the Berlin Wall was erected to the time it was knocked down, it took only one generation. As a result, the pain of the separation of family members was never dulled in the hearts of the German people of that generation, and in the end, Germany was not divided for long. Even though there were many differences in the lives of the people in Germany after the merger due to the history of democratic and communist rule, the painful history of division due to the intervention of foreign forces also contributed to the unity and strength of Germany after the war. In the minds of the average German citizen, these memories are probably just a piece of the past.
6F | Penthouse
After strolling through the main exhibits on the first floor, the next step in the exhibit line took us up the elevator directly to the rooftop on the top six floors. The theme of the rooftop text exhibit is about the many historical events that have taken place in Washington DC, organized in the form of a chronology of the presidents. The view from the rooftop is perfect for seeing the most important buildings in downtown Washington DC, including the Capitol, museums, and memorials, so it should be a great place to visit on a nice day. Unfortunately, the weather was rainy and the roof of the Capitol was under construction, so it was best to focus on absorbing the news.
6F | Today's front-page
Back inside on the sixth floor, you are greeted by a wall full of newspapers. This area is called today's frontpage, and it shows the front pages of newspapers from every state in the U.S. as well as the front pages of foreign newspapers. After observing the newspapers in different states, I realized that the U.S. is a federation after all, and people in different regions care about different news, so the front page news also varies. For example, in several large East Coast states such as New York and Massachusetts, important political and financial news dominates the front page on a given day, but this is not the case in other states. In some Midwestern states, news about sports or agricultural policy seemed to be considered more important and dominated the front pages.
Vietnam War News Zone
Another section on the sixth floor is the Vietnam War News section. The Vietnam War of the 1950s and 1960s is a very important war in the minds of Americans, and almost all museums with a slight connection to American history must have a lot to say about the Vietnam War, and naturally, the Museum of Public Information is no exception. The Vietnam War was the largest war the United States had fought since World War II, and it was also an important war pitting the U.S.-led democratic camp against the communist camp, and its political and historical significance cannot be overstated.
The Vietnam War has another meaning at the Museum of Journalism. The Vietnam War took place at a time when television was becoming popular and technology had advanced to the point where live broadcasts from the battlefields were a reality, making the Vietnam War the first war that the American public was able to "see" in real time. While people had previously only received war news through the radio and written news, during the Vietnam era, many American families began to gather at dinner time to discuss matters of national significance. However, the brutality of the war had a direct impact on many people: as the war dragged on, the real-time images forced the American people to look directly at the brutality of the American troops burning villages in Vietnam, and the old and infirm Vietnamese women and children in tears, making those who stayed behind in the U.S. question the legitimacy of the war. The U.S. government tried to control the spread of such news, but there were always reporters and journalists who insisted on spreading the truth. Eventually, public opinion in the U.S. reversed itself after Cronkite produced a special program criticizing the optimism of the U.S. government, and the backlash officially outweighed the support for the war, leading the U.S. to abandon the Vietnam War. Thus, the Vietnam War was an important event in which the modern media demonstrated its influence on public opinion. It is said that the then U.S. President Jensen, after watching Kate's program, said, "If I lose Kate's support, I lose the hearts and minds of the American people. The impact of news on society and politics is evident.
5F | News History
Following the staircase down to the 5th floor, there is the News History Area, where artifacts of the history of journalism spanning over five centuries are displayed, including many old news publications, more than 300 historical front pages, and various thematic displays, which of course include newspapers and TV news at the time of the important historical events. There were many visitors in front of each theme, and apart from the historical events theme, I was particularly interested in the theme related to the credibility and speed of news. On the other side of the fifth floor, a 100-foot wide wall of large-screen TVs broadcasted live news and videos from the Vietnam War.
4F | New Media Zone
New media refers to the social networks and interactive news that we are all familiar with nowadays. Because they are so close to our lives nowadays, they don't seem as fresh as the previous areas. One of the more interesting aspects of the event was the interactive sensory game, similar to the xbox, which tested the visitors' knowledge of new media.
4F | Black People's Rights Movement Area
The second part is about the student black civil rights movement against segregation in the 60's. The history of this era is familiar to me because I just watched the 2013 movie "First Steward of the White House". The history of this era is particularly familiar to me because I just watched the 2013 movie "The First Steward of the White House". Two of the more famous student protests at the time were when black students and their white supporters sat in the white section of a segregated cafeteria, and when protesting students of different races insisted on taking the same bus, which was anathema in the segregationist era, and thus triggered violence from the opponents, and students had to endure this violence in order to keep the protest peaceful. In order to maintain peaceful protests, students have to endure such violence, which is a very difficult process. In addition to videos and text, the exhibit also shows some of the seats in the protest cafeteria at the time.
4F | 9/11 Exhibit Area
The third part shows the first-hand news footage of the 9/11 incident. I don't know if it's because I didn't get to see the full broadcast or because I was too young to remember it clearly, but even though we all know the whole story of 9/11 and I had seen the news at the time of the event, I was still shocked to see the historical footage of the Twin Planet's collapse on the scene. What impressed me most was not only the video footage, but also the story of the freelance reporter who died on the scene trying to collect first-hand information and the rescue workers on the scene, which was particularly shocking.
3F | Knight studio
The third floor is the floor where the important exhibition areas are concentrated. When you go down to the third floor, the first thing that catches your eye is the helicopter that hangs in the air next to the Knight studio. The Knight studio next to it is a real studio where real news is broadcasted live at regular hours, and if you are lucky, you may even meet the president being interviewed here! Although it wasn't the time for newscasts when we were there, it was interesting to observe the control room next to it. There were all kinds of equipment used in the control room for TV broadcasting, so you should be able to see the staff operating it on the spot while it's being broadcasted live.
In addition to the Knight Studio, one of the most famous exhibitions at the Museum of Journalism is the World Press Freedom Map on the third floor. This map shows the degree of press freedom around the world, and is color-coded: green for free, yellow for partially free, and red for not free, giving a clear picture of the global press freedom index.
In addition, there is an exhibit featuring the belongings of journalists who were killed in the line of duty, which gives a deeper sense of the risks taken by journalists. A two-story monument to the more than 2,000 journalists who died in the line of duty clearly identifies the reporters, photographers, editors and broadcasters. Finally, next to the Knight studio, the Bloomberg.com exhibit focuses on the history of electronic news, including radio and television news.
2F | Interactive Area, Souvenir Shop
As the line moves down to the second floor, this stop is quite relaxing and seems to be designed mainly for parent-child interaction. The President's Pet Area features a photo gallery of all the presidents' dogs. After passing through the souvenir store on the second floor, visitors can try their hand at broadcasting a newscast in a live studio at the National Broadcasting Company's interactive exhibit area. There are studios for the whole news and sports news, where visitors can see themselves broadcasting on TV, which is a favorite among children, and many parents queued up with their children to try it out.
1F | Pulitzer Prize Zone
Back to the first floor where we entered, there is still the main event in front of us: the Pulitzer Prize-winning photo section. The Pulitzer Prize is known as the Nobel Prize of journalism, and the photographs that make it into this section are no ordinary ones. In addition to the photographs, there are texts and documentaries explaining the stories behind the award-winning photographs. Most of the award-winning photographs on display here are quite famous, so I've heard of their backgrounds, but seeing the familiar images gives me a deeper feeling.
1F | 4D Cinema
On the other end of the first floor is a 4D theater, which does not require a ticket, but we suggest you to check the time of the movie beforehand. Because each area was so exciting, we spent too much time at the front and missed the last show of the day. Luckily, the tickets were good for two days, so we came back the next day to watch the movie. The movie didn't disappoint us, the effect was very good for a free 3D movie, and the content was interesting as it took the audience and the reporters through the process of interviewing people from the past to the present. The movie is not too long, and we still feel like we haven't finished watching it.
B1 | Special Exhibition Area
On the first floor is the special exhibition area. When we were there, the theme of the special exhibition was refugee children in the war, and the photos were so amazing that visitors could not help but be silent. Living in a rich country, we should treasure the resources we can use, and we hope to help the refugees as much as we can.
Behind the restaurant on the first basement floor, there is also a small exhibition area for comics. In fact, comics were often published in newspapers in the past, such as Snoopy and Garfield, which were household names in the United States, and they were all important contents in newspapers in the past, so naturally, they will not be absent from the Museum of Journalism. This section displays a number of selected column comics, which evoke precious memories for visitors.
When I stepped out of the Press Museum, it happened to be a day when DC was closed for a marathon, so I captured this image of a photographer lying on the ground to capture the front of the runners. Although you may not be able to see it from the still photo, the oncoming marathon runners were like a million horses running, if this gentleman didn't have a good movement and courage, I'm afraid he wouldn't have been able to take a good photo. This trip to the Press Museum ended with a photo tribute to this professional photographer.
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