Reflection: Newseum Unleashes Emotions

I was unprepared for the rush of emotions I was about to encounter as I walked towards the 9/11 exhibit. I remember the day clearly. I was in fourth grade, Mrs. Offner’s class. There was a lot of commotion in the halls. Teachers coming and going from our classroom. Whispers and serious faces. Classmates being pulled out of school, taken home by their parents. As we walked towards the cafeteria there was something different about the usual lunchtime chatter. There was talk of something bad that had happened that very morning. Planes crashing, bombs, buildings in the city… fire, panic… Someone was spreading rumors. “The city was just bombed! We’re being attacked!” My friend looked at me, worried. I responded assertively, “No…it can’t be. They don’t know what they’re talking about.”


That day when my mom picked me up from school she told me what had happened. I remember being quiet on the car ride home, trying to put the pieces together. My naive self had been in such disbelief the entire day but now it seemed real. I wasn’t exactly sure what it meant, how this would alter the course of future events forever, and I certainly did not understand the gravity of the situation, but I knew it was bad.

In the days following the pieces began to come together. My parents explained what they could of the situation. I understood the aftermath of the occurrence, but could not fathom any reason as to why anyone would do this…

I remember going to the site of the World Trade Center with my family. I walked through the nearby streets that were masked in rubble and dust, days after the attack. To put it simply, it was unsettling.


The September 11th exhibit at the Newseum brought me back to that chilling day. At the time I had not understood the huge impact 9/11 would have on our nation. Now, I am extremely appreciative that the museum offers a place to display newspapers surrounding the event, as well as the “Running Toward Danger” video. From the exhibit I realized the profound effect that news reporters have on the public. Headlines such as “Our Nation Saw Evil,” “Attacks Shatter Nation,” and the striking“Bastards!” inspired immense support among Americans. Fear and despair, stimulated by the media, brought our nation together in unity and strength. There was one front page in particular that captured my attention. The headline read, “An inferno engulfs the World Trade Center.” A photograph underneath depicted the twin towers being eaten alive by burning red flames.


I knew I needed to see this video. Watching the film and hearing the accounts from eye witnesses rendered me speechless. I cannot imagine how it must have felt for reporters who witnessed this calamity firsthand. As the video showed footage of the plane hitting the tower, tears formed in my eyes. When I was reminded that it wasn’t debris falling, but people, those tears started streaming down my face.


The Newseum exhibit allowed me to revisit the day of infamy from a different perspective. I learned about the reporters who, unlike most people that day, ran toward the towers, not away from them. The first-person accounts from journalists serve as a reminder of the horrific events that took place on September 11, 2001. Most importantly, the Newseum successfully portrays the power the media has to affect one’s beliefs, opinions, and deepest of emotions.