Reflection Post Week Two

I've begged my parents since March to take me to the Newseum. In my high school journalism class, I'd ask my teacher to take a field trip to analyze how news is presented, to see the variety of front page layouts.

Living an hour away from DC, it shouldn't be that difficult to visit a museum once, especially with my extremely avid interest in the field of print journalism.

Needless to say, I was highly anticipating this Wednesday event.

It opened my eyes to more than the cold, impersonal journalism I'd learned throughout high school. I was taught to always have a verb and no articles in headlines, to make sure photos had a face to them, and, most of all, to eliminate any bias in news stories. The Newseum showed me how powerful news can be when it's turned more into a features story, when passion is inserted. Bias can make all the difference in conveying a powerful story. It's making news concrete and tangible when people can relate.

I'm not at all trying to say that news should be biased. Stories should be told with all the facts presented. However, in certain rare occasions, like Hurricane Katrina and 9/11, when the story transcends normal news and effects all people, whether they or loved ones were directly involved or not, that personal touch can make all of the difference.

In addition, I noticed a recurring theme of journalism being called "the first draft of history". It's similar to what Washington Post journalist Bob Woodward said in the preface to his book "The Agenda", where he compared his work to a mix of history and journalism. That's what news reporting is: getting the story right to help people not just now, but future generations to understand what the world was like.

I guess because I aspire to work in the journalism field one day, I have a different perspective about how crucial it is. Seeing the exhibits showing the First Amendment restrictions and another showing all who have died doing their jobs, I believe more strongly than ever how crucial a free press is to society. Informing the people of what is going on in their world allows them to create opinions and determine what they believe is the best course of action for the country and for themselves. We need the press to provide the news they know the people need to know accurately. President Obama signed the "Daniel Pearl Freedom of the Press Act" in May, providing for the State Department to keep in mind press restrictions while reviewing human rights. This is the type of step we need to take as a nation - keep encouraging the spread of free press. We want democracy around the world, but, to have that, we must have free and accurate journalists.