WJMC Day 2
My day today began at about 5:00 AM. Yes, that was my doing and not that of the conference. I set three alarms, one for 5, one for 5:30, and one for 6. I woke up with the first one and then went back to sleep... so I actually got up at 5:30. Breakfast was at 7, so why in the world did I get up so early? Well, to start, I just like getting up early when I'm on grand adventures. Besides that, I like showering in the morning... today that was interesting, though, as I couldn't find hot water once I got into the shower. I think I beat my record for quickest Katie-shower this morning.
So, once I made it out of the dorm at about 6, I went about the stretch of campus between Blue Ridge and the Cafeteria with my camera taking pictures of everything that caught my interest. Then there was breakfast, of which I have nothing interesting to say. Oh! Except that I actually ate breakfast.
After breakfast, I found the rest of the orange people. We weren't sure where we werre going at first, but we found Ms. Tammy and were soon on the bus for the Newseum. I'd heard about DC traffic being bad, but it just seemed like city traffic to me. (Meaning, I was very, very glad to be riding in the bus and not driving it)
The Newseum was amazing. It's six levels of exhibits, with lots of stairs and one set of hydrolic-lift glass elevators. According to the signs, these are the largest such elevators in the country. If my memory is still working, each one can hold about 40 people. The elevators only stop at the very top level and the very bottom level. the staircases spiral down from the top so that visitors to the Newseum can explore the levels in between.
There was so much in the Newseum, I am quite sure I missed seeing things while I was there. I did have a few favorite parts, though. First was the Pulitzer Prize Photography exhibit. It's tucked away in an amazing little corner of the Newseum, and contains prints of all of the photos that have won that prize since its introduction. The photos in the exhibit were spectacular, and many of them were quite touching. The stories behind the photos really made them come to life for me. The reason, I think, that I liked this gallery so much is that I'm a bit of an aspiring photographer myself. I only hope that someday I'll be able to touch people with my photos the way that these people already have.
My other favorite part of the Newseum was the Berlin Wall exhibit. I'd seen sections of the wall before, but the Newseum display is so much more than just a piece or two of wall. They have five (or six?) sections and one of the guard towers, all of them arranged in such a way that in order to see the information, the story that goes along with them you must go behind the mini-Wall and into an alcove containing the guard tower. The story runs from one side of the alcove along the walls and to the other, a short walk but one that can't be taken without feeling something of the emotional past that permeates the exhibit. It's a powerful thing to visit, even more so when I realized that the wall itself came down in 1990 -- 20 years ago, and only a year before I was born. In my lifetime, the Wall has not existed. Yet despite that, seeing the parts of it that remain so that it will not be forgotten... that affects me in a way that many of the momentous events that have happened during my lifetime do not. Someday, I hope I'll understand why that is.
Lunch took place in the "Food Section" of the Newseum, a cafeteria catered by Wolfgang Puck. I had a turkey-and-swiss sandwich, which was good... but the food there is really expensive. I would have been delighted if they offered half-size sandwiches, too. Mine... was more food than I could finish. But it was food! :)
After Lunch, we all packed into the Newseum theater for a 4-D movie about the history of journalism. It was awesome, but really, three dimensions are enough for me. I don't mind having my seat move, but the puffs of air are a bit too much. Especially the one meant to simulate a rat crawling under my seat. *shudder* I don't like rats, and I also don't like needles of air pretending to be one hitting my legs. The stories in the movie were very well done, though. Nelly Bly is one of my journalism-heroes, and she was one of the ones shown in the movie -- so I really enjoied that part.
Skipping over the long ride back to campus in traffic and rain, we did a few small activities with our color groups and then had an hour or so of free time. I spent most of that writing the first three or four paragraphs of this entry... and did nothing else of note. Dinner was like breakfast, not really something newsworthy.
After Dinner we were separated into 7 different presentations. Mine was done by Rebecca Goldin on "Numbers in the News". (I introduced her, by the way!) Ms. Goldin is an incredible woman, a Ph.D mathematician, and a very good speaker. She told us all about statistics in the news and how they're changed in many cases to reflect what someone wants them to say---even when that is wholly inaccurate. Ms. Goldin also talked about polls. Polls... are apparently one of the most skewed things in the news world (although there are some more scrupulous polling organizations). I really enjoyed listening to her talk about the non-profit she works for, STATS. They're amazing, check out their website. (I say that because I'm about to fall asleep typing and therefore can't remember enough of my intro-script at the moment to tell you more about them.)
So, it's almost tomorrow again and I desperately need to sleep. (I almost did on the bus ride back...) We're going to the National Press Club and the National Mall (the one with the Smithsonian) tomorrow. I don't have words at the moment to describe how excited I am about that, and about the "Moonlight Monument Tour" tomorrow night! I'm really, really looking forward to it. :)
To my possible readers, I say goodnight.
So, once I made it out of the dorm at about 6, I went about the stretch of campus between Blue Ridge and the Cafeteria with my camera taking pictures of everything that caught my interest. Then there was breakfast, of which I have nothing interesting to say. Oh! Except that I actually ate breakfast.
After breakfast, I found the rest of the orange people. We weren't sure where we werre going at first, but we found Ms. Tammy and were soon on the bus for the Newseum. I'd heard about DC traffic being bad, but it just seemed like city traffic to me. (Meaning, I was very, very glad to be riding in the bus and not driving it)
The Newseum was amazing. It's six levels of exhibits, with lots of stairs and one set of hydrolic-lift glass elevators. According to the signs, these are the largest such elevators in the country. If my memory is still working, each one can hold about 40 people. The elevators only stop at the very top level and the very bottom level. the staircases spiral down from the top so that visitors to the Newseum can explore the levels in between.
There was so much in the Newseum, I am quite sure I missed seeing things while I was there. I did have a few favorite parts, though. First was the Pulitzer Prize Photography exhibit. It's tucked away in an amazing little corner of the Newseum, and contains prints of all of the photos that have won that prize since its introduction. The photos in the exhibit were spectacular, and many of them were quite touching. The stories behind the photos really made them come to life for me. The reason, I think, that I liked this gallery so much is that I'm a bit of an aspiring photographer myself. I only hope that someday I'll be able to touch people with my photos the way that these people already have.
My other favorite part of the Newseum was the Berlin Wall exhibit. I'd seen sections of the wall before, but the Newseum display is so much more than just a piece or two of wall. They have five (or six?) sections and one of the guard towers, all of them arranged in such a way that in order to see the information, the story that goes along with them you must go behind the mini-Wall and into an alcove containing the guard tower. The story runs from one side of the alcove along the walls and to the other, a short walk but one that can't be taken without feeling something of the emotional past that permeates the exhibit. It's a powerful thing to visit, even more so when I realized that the wall itself came down in 1990 -- 20 years ago, and only a year before I was born. In my lifetime, the Wall has not existed. Yet despite that, seeing the parts of it that remain so that it will not be forgotten... that affects me in a way that many of the momentous events that have happened during my lifetime do not. Someday, I hope I'll understand why that is.
Lunch took place in the "Food Section" of the Newseum, a cafeteria catered by Wolfgang Puck. I had a turkey-and-swiss sandwich, which was good... but the food there is really expensive. I would have been delighted if they offered half-size sandwiches, too. Mine... was more food than I could finish. But it was food! :)
After Lunch, we all packed into the Newseum theater for a 4-D movie about the history of journalism. It was awesome, but really, three dimensions are enough for me. I don't mind having my seat move, but the puffs of air are a bit too much. Especially the one meant to simulate a rat crawling under my seat. *shudder* I don't like rats, and I also don't like needles of air pretending to be one hitting my legs. The stories in the movie were very well done, though. Nelly Bly is one of my journalism-heroes, and she was one of the ones shown in the movie -- so I really enjoied that part.
Skipping over the long ride back to campus in traffic and rain, we did a few small activities with our color groups and then had an hour or so of free time. I spent most of that writing the first three or four paragraphs of this entry... and did nothing else of note. Dinner was like breakfast, not really something newsworthy.
After Dinner we were separated into 7 different presentations. Mine was done by Rebecca Goldin on "Numbers in the News". (I introduced her, by the way!) Ms. Goldin is an incredible woman, a Ph.D mathematician, and a very good speaker. She told us all about statistics in the news and how they're changed in many cases to reflect what someone wants them to say---even when that is wholly inaccurate. Ms. Goldin also talked about polls. Polls... are apparently one of the most skewed things in the news world (although there are some more scrupulous polling organizations). I really enjoyed listening to her talk about the non-profit she works for, STATS. They're amazing, check out their website. (I say that because I'm about to fall asleep typing and therefore can't remember enough of my intro-script at the moment to tell you more about them.)
So, it's almost tomorrow again and I desperately need to sleep. (I almost did on the bus ride back...) We're going to the National Press Club and the National Mall (the one with the Smithsonian) tomorrow. I don't have words at the moment to describe how excited I am about that, and about the "Moonlight Monument Tour" tomorrow night! I'm really, really looking forward to it. :)
To my possible readers, I say goodnight.