By Kelly A. Shue
THE ERICKSON TRIBUNE
In the midst of an election year when it is next to impossible to turn on the television, open the paper, or search the Web without encountering “breaking news” from the political arena, it’s easy to ponder the question, “How did the news become such a defining factor in our lives?”
To answer that question and explore the history of American journalism, members of the Riderwood community—known as the Newshounds—recently embarked on a tour of the just-opened Newseum in Washington, D.C.
Lessons in journalism
Adorned in their special Newshound dog visors, the group enjoyed their first look at the new 250,000-squarefoot Newseum. Touted as America’s most interactive museum, it includes live quiz games, 14 major galleries, 130 interactive exhibits, and 2 broadcast studios.
“I’m a news freak, and I find the Newseum a magnificent facility,” says Riderwood’s Sara Levy.
Beginning their tour at the 90-foot-high Great Hall of News, the Newshounds found themselves surrounded by a continuous flow of news on a giant screen. The group then continued by viewing the facility’s orientation film entitled “What’s New?” highlighting the role of news in stories of life and death, love and hate.
A moving experience
Over the next four hours, the group enjoyed self-guided tours of the museum’s many exhibits and galleries including the moving 9/11 Gallery. The gallery explores the events of that fateful day and the extraordinary challenges journalists faced in their efforts to report news to a shaken nation. Also on display are some of the final photographs of photojournalist William Biggart, a journalist who died covering the attacks.