Washington Newseum stresses individual heroism, downplays economics and social context

by Andy Oram | @praxagora | comments: 1

My Parka pinched tightly, I plunged into the sleet that battered the pavements of Washington DC in a flash storm and tread down 6th Street. I wasn't about to turn back now. There was no other time for me to take the assortment of extended family members to the Newseum, the exhibit hall about journalism that has garnered so much buzz since its recent move from humble beginnings over the horizon in Virginia to a swank neomodern block with a balcony over looking the Capitol building that generates so much of its subject matter.

The Newseum is an experience worth the entrance fee, and a capacious view into the profession that it honors. The history exhibit boasts history-making front pages throughout the life of our country, and the First Amendment exhibit brought tears to my eyes. But a lot was missing from the Newseum too, and I didn't think the omissions were just something they'll get to later.

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