Newseum

[gstark]

This site was brought to my attention because it contains more than 600 current newspaper front pages. I think that simple fact makes it of interest to a great number of our members, because of the links to their homelands, to the papers that they've grown up with, to the friends and families that they've left behind in their journey through life.

But in a quick exploration of the site, there is so much more, and much of it is of greater relevance to those of us with a journalistic, or a photojournalistic, bent to our lives.

There are the archives, in many instances catalogued by some of the world's major events.

And then there's the Journalists Memorial. I'll leave it to you to read the 2006 rededication remarks and to ponder over the significance of this site.

[Frankenstein]

I visited the Newseum during a visit to Washington DC last July (and yesterday I was wearing the "News Junkie" T-shirt I bought from the gift shop). I must say that it THE most interesting museum I have ever visited - and that's saying something, seeing that I visited the Air and Space Museum the following day. It's amazing - front pages throughout history, a section of the Berlin Wall and watchtower, the actual door the Watergate burglars used to break into the hotel, one of the WTC aerials, and so much more. A real highlight was the exhibition of Pulitzer prize winning photographs. There was also a section devoted to the only journalist killed on Sept 11, which included his recovered press pass and destroyed camera and his final images as he approached the WTC - I found it disturbing to look at them

If you're interested in journalism, world events or photography, then this place is a must visit if you're ever in DC.

Frank.

[gstark]

Frank

A real highlight was the exhibition of Pulitzer prize winning photographs.

Several years ago I visited the Getty Museum in LA, and one of the exhibitions at the time was "Photos For The Press", which featured a number of images, mostly Pulitzer Prize winners, from the mid 20th century.

This was a very powerful exhibition that had me mentally exhausted within a very short time. it included several images by Capa, another of Robert Kennedy immediately following his assassination .... I'm wondering if the exhibition you saw might be related to the Getty one?

There was also a section devoted to the only journalist killed on Sept 11, which included his recovered press pass and destroyed camera and his final images as he approached the WTC - I found it disturbing to look at them

I am glad that these have found such a worthy home. I have an American Photo magazine here - Jan 2002, IIRC, with that camera featured on the cover. The magazine contains a number of stories from PJs called into service on the day, as well as a story of the jounralist who owned this camera.

Yes, very disturbing, bit I think essential reading for anybody with an interest in the freedoms that we cherish.