Newseum ads don't do justice to journalism
As a former journalist and voracious history buff, I've been eagerly awaiting the opening of the $450 million Newseum in Washington, D.C. But I can understand why some people have been confused by the idea of a museum dedicated to the history and craft of the news industry. That’s why I was so frustrated to see The Martin Agency’s ad campaign for the new landmark. At its finest, journalism is the human face of history, captured at the ground level. So I’m left feeling that a great opportunity was squandered with these ads, which look like some kind of third-grade collage made from a Life magazine “Photos of Our Century” collection. (Click the image above to see a larger version, and click here, here and here to see more executions at Ads of the World.) This is a museum that deserves better. It is not simply about images of history. It’s about the people on either side of the lens. For example, any museum can show you the 1994 Pulitzer Prize-winning photo of a starving Sudanese girl being stalked by a vulture. But the Newseum also shows you the words of the photographer, who killed himself shortly after his shot appeared in The New York Times: “I’m really, really sorry I didn’t pick the child up.”
—Posted by David Griner
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April 21, 2008 in Griner | Permalink
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Comments
I agree with you on this one. Not only is it a bad visual pun, it looks like something a high-school kid put together for art class.
Posted by: Not a fan | Apr 21, 2008 5:25:27 PM
But the Newseum also shows you the words of the photographer, who killed himself shortly after his shot appeared in The New York Times: “I’m really, really sorry I didn’t pick the child up.”
For this reason, even though people say i capture good pictures of other people, I have been afraid to concentrate on fotographing people, except for myself. At least if there is abuse, it's on me or plants or inanimate objects. Though, if you just fotograph yourself, they told me I was a narcissist. I was only trying to feel what they were feeling without stealing their soul.
Posted by: | Apr 23, 2008 9:02:06 AM
As a Journalism and a resident of the Washington-DC area, I've got to say that I do not like the ads that are plastered all around the metro stations. They're ugly and they take the focus away from the museum itself. Just show me a picture of the museum with some witty copy and I'll be happy.
Posted by: BrianW | Apr 23, 2008 3:25:31 PM
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