My Visit to Newseum

By: Camille Daniels

If there were ever a place that embodied Newhouse from a historical perspective it would be Newseum, the journalism museum located in Washington D.C. It is not just because of the subject matter that the museum reflects the school but also in the way in how it was presented.

A few months ago, as I casually scrolled through my timeline on Facebook, I saw a posting from a buddy on there that really struck my attention. The posting was a link from the local news in Washington about the fact that this museum was going to close preventively at its present location until a new permanent place could be found. The museum had been around for quite some time a little over a decade and now it was preparing to close its doors. I had never heard of this museum and didn’t even think that a museum for journalism existed and certainly didn’t think it would be housed in Washington of all places. New York City I could understand but not D.C. so I decided to put this piece of information at the back of my mind and made a note that the first real chance I had, I was going to visit it as the closing date was December 31st. At first I thought maybe I’d go to try and see if I could write about it as an extra credit assignment for a class but then figured no professor would be willing to do that so I thought maybe I’ll just go for myself. I decided I’d go for a more spiritual experience.

Now if you’re reading this and thinking to yourself, “How can going to a museum be a spiritual experience?” It’s a simple answer, I needed to know is journalism for me seriously as a career after graduation. The museum is not in the same place where I live in New York City and I was also going by myself. So that left me with plenty of time to think, observe and experience everything without being distracted by say a friend or family member. I was however distracted that unless I had arrived exactly when the doors opened at 9 a.m. which I hadn’t, that I may not get in. I was on a mission to really try and experience as much as I could of the museum as possible. And with six floors and only about four hours to take it all in before it closed exactly at 5 p.m. as I got there closer to Noon with a lot of material per floor it was not easy. What I was hoping for was for the trip to reveal something to me, to help me figure out if my interest and love for it are enough or is isn’t it? Am I really into it or only certain aspects of it? And if I am not a traditional journalist, what does that mean for me going forward after graduation and all the requirements for the degree have been met?

Maybe it’s because I have a degree with a philosophy background or maybe graduate school just makes one question everything but this solo trip to this museum really became that for me. So as I entered into the museum after standing on a long line outside, viewing newspapers from around the country displayed outside, a security screening and showing my digital ticket the tour of the museum began by following a sign that pointed to the escalator and that took me to the ground floor.

For starters there is so much material for a visitor to absorb that it can almost seem overwhelming to really wonder how you can take it all in unless you spend an eight-hour day in there to dissect it all. However, I didn’t let the limited time stop me as I was greeted by a quote from civil rights activist and politician Julian Bond that essentially said a protest in front of the white house is the first amendment happening in real time. It was on a wall outside of a theater that explained the whole purpose of the museum, why it existed and the best way to experience it. After taking it all in and grabbing a meal at the dining hall, worth the money in my opinion and started the tour. But as I prepared to really start the tour, I couldn’t help but think of what brought me there essentially in a rush and that was the fact that in a few days it would be closed, permanently.

Overhearing someone that sounded as if he had been a supporter of the museum since its inception the gentleman made it sound like the museum was essentially losing money and that’s why it was closing so quickly. Looking around and exploring it as I had thought about it while having my lunch, I couldn’t help think this museum would be a perfect trip for students at Newhouse. It would be the ideal trip for anyone attending a journalism school across the country. I say this because without sitting in a classroom, not working on an assignment or stressing over an exam but instead of simply exploring this place it lets the questions come up “Do I really want to do this?” “Am I really passionate about this subject matter?” I believe it would plant the seed of connection to really begin to have these deeper and more soulful conversations about what it is exactly what one wants to do.

I think being able to see the history of where spreading of information began in the 1500s after the printing press was invented and seeing how it has evolved through time was the most impressive part. What also struck me was simply how other aspects of media have contributed to traditional journalism and vice versa such as entertainment like movies, television and pop culture. Books also being an extension of journalism when focusing on a topic and of course photography. All these elements that I came across while there made me think of Newhouse and that students should be there.

I hope that one day the museum is able to reopen and remain open so that way whether student or not it will allow anyone to take a moment to fully understand the importance of the first amendment, why journalism counts and the role of the media in our everyday lives and in the culture.