This weeks trip to the Newseum was one that reminded me of national and international tragedy. Upon entering the Newseum, my group and I moseyed over to the Pulitzer Prize winner photographs. At first we were shocked by the content of the photographs, but as we looked longer and began to read the history and circumstances behind each shot we became burdened with our sudden sorrow. I began to ponder the necessity of media. How can media be good when it spreads the horror of individual and international disasters?
My visit to the September 11th exhibit was heart wrenching. I saw how the media provoked overwhelming sorrow and a need for unified retaliation. The Katrina exhibit brought similar feelings, and I watched the headlines portray hopelessness and despair. Both exhibits, however, did reveal the aspects of media that make it a necessity. The first is that people want to know. Despite their lack of sovereignty, many people want to be engaged in local and global affairs so they can offer help, prayers, and expertise. Secondly, without the general public knowing about the incidents, the actions of the president and other governmental authorities would be misunderstood. Any kind of reaction or change spurned from the catastrophic events would have lacked any kind of support if the average citizen was ignorant of its occurrence.
Media is our right. Many places throughout history and in the world today cannot freely release media. These are places where the citizens are told only what the government wants them to be told, and thus there is no way to challenge it, develop one’s own opinion, or find out the truth. Though media may bring devastating news, it is vital that we engage as active citizens and exercise our right to know and to speak up for the innocent and speak out against evil doers.
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