Newseum WASHINGTON-

JOURNEY: THE Newseum in Washington

The thousand and one stories in the world press

After three weeks (27 October to 18 November 2012) spent in the country of Barack Obama as part of the "Edward R. Murrow journalits for 2012 ", organized by the U.S. State Department, discover in this report on the Newseum, a thousand and a history of the world press.

 

Washington. Sunday, October 28, 2012. It's noon. The bus shakes journalists to Pennsylvania Avenue. Where is the Newseum. After a ten minute drive, the bus arrives at the Temple of the press. The largest museum of the history of information and journalism. More than two hectares, the museum offers visitors an experience spanning five centuries of the history of information and journalism. In a huge window through which passersby can see the museum fulfill its mission of establishing a forum where the media and the public can gain a better mutual understanding. "This building is quite open. Architecture symbolizes journalism. The journalist is supposed to be open and transparent. "Explains museum guides. Dispatches from the Associated Press (AP) and the latest exploits of football players scroll in a loop on the giant screens that greet the visitor. A few meters ahead, a helicopter appears to be fixed to the roof of the building. All eyes are on this unit. "What this helicopter doing here? "She asks one. The answer is simple: "This helicopter is often used by American television to some reports. TV channels to praise reports. " The Newseum with its seven floors, also has 14 main exhibition galleries providing an overview of how the media have covered major historical events such as the fall of the Berlin Wall or the attacks of September 11, 2011.

The history of the Berlin Wall live. For the story, says our guide, "is a young Reuters old at the time and 26 years who had heard the rumor about the construction of the Berlin Wall. He is out for a walk. He saw people in the process of building the wall on a Saturday night. People who had left their families to see the other side of the city remained where they were for 28 years. " Today, outside of Germany, it is the Newseum found the large piece of the Berlin Wall. One of the facades of the wall is filled with graffiti. The other is dull. Not a single point. These two parts correspond to the western facade which faced West Berlin and East side which was in Berlin Communist East Germany. "A West Berlin people were free to express their opinion on the wall. By East Berlin against the wall is very clean. Instructions were given to the soldiers to shoot anyone who would approach the wall "sheds light do we.

Attacks of 11 September 2001. Another world event can relive in this museum are the September 11 attacks. Photos and showcase of major U.S. newspapers and the world, dedicated to events that adorn the walls. Shocking images of victims trapped in tons of rubble and glass. Firefighters in distress. The visitor is plunged into the "fire" of the September 11 attacks. The "A" in some newspapers of September 11 shows the shock by this Tuesday Usa dark history of the USA. Some "A" of American newspapers, devoted to 11th September, attract attention. The Examiner newspaper barred his "A" as follows: "Bastards" (b ....) The Mirror: "War on the Word" (war in the world) Daily Mail: "Apocalypse" (The Apocalypse) The Star: "It's like the war zone" (it's like a war zone), Newsday: "America attacked This" (America attacked), Rock Mountain News: "Our nation saw evil" (our nation saw the hell), Concord Monitor: "Day of Terror" (the day of terror). On the other side of the room, a large map of the world made an inventory of press freedom in the world. It reflects the ratio of "Freedom House" Freedom of the press. Countries are classified into three zones. In the area, these are the countries where press freedom is total. In the yellow zone, freedom of expression is mixed in these countries in this area. Countries that are in the red zone, are those where freedom of expression is violated.

The Senegal sticky. Senegal is in the "yellow" zone with Mauritania, Burkina Faso, Niger, among others. Guinea, Gambia, Liberia, Chad and Côte d'Ivoire are in the red zone. Good students in Africa are Mali and Ghana from the situation in 2011. The Newseum also has a showroom Items journalists who cover the White House: "Journalists who cover the White House, whatever the country of origin, exhibit their best article or photo journalism. He was awarded a prize for the best article we or best photojournalism "we are told. Among these thousands of photographs, picture jumps to the eye. A handshake. Both hands. One black and one iron prosthesis. The first is that President Barack Obama and the other that of an American soldier. Who lost his hand in the war in Iraq. A photo immortalized by the photojournalist Charles Dharapak, Associated Press (Ap). He won the award for photo of the year. A photo taken, information does it, on the occasion of the ceremony of the Medal of Freedom by President Obama to the victims of war. The decor is completed by a giant poster of hundreds of journalists killed in the line of duty around the world. The work materials (micro, cameras, radios, computers, cars) ransacked passports of journalists killed on the battlefield or journalists are persecuted in their country, complete the blackboard in the history of the press. In this macabre count, no Senegalese journalist. The only journalist in the pantheon of African press is worse Cameroon Pius N. Njawé.

HAROUNA FALL (SPECIAL ENVOY TO WASHINGTON)