Serious News and Serious Fun at the Newseum

By Dean’s Intern Julia Wunning-Zimmer at the Newseum

I am still in awe that, as an employee, I am able to step into this enormous glass building on Pennsylvania Avenue that I once admired as a visitor. I am extremely grateful for this opportunity to work for the Newseum at this location before they close their doors at the end of this year. Although I only just began my internship last week, I have already participated in valuable learning experiences.

Moreover, immediately after I sat down at my desk on the first day, I wrote the audio script for the Newseum’s newest exhibit, Seriously Funny: From the Desk of ‘The Daily Show with Jon Stewart,’ which allows people of all abilities access to the exhibit. I wrote this by singling out important features of the exhibit after studying its blueprint and script. To help me better understand the Seriously Funny’s layout, my boss and I explored the in-progress exhibit space to allow me to refine my script.

After I finished this project, I then began sorting through a database of written comments, personal stories and testimonials from a kiosk at our 9/11 Gallery. While sorting, I decided which comments the Newseum should discard, rotate on the kiosk or display on the wall. This experience illuminated how many museum visitors fail to fully read the exhibit, walking away still possessing misconceptions and not knowing hard facts about the 2001 terrorist attack. This fuels my passion for educating the public on the truth through writing, as this lack of knowledge about major historical events means that future journalists must continue to spread facts to promote a more truthful world.

Overall, I’m incredibly excited for what’s to come with the two months I have left here at the Newseum, and I expect to leave the fourth floor on my final day feeling accomplished and hungry for more work in the field.