“Where were you?”: Solidarity through mass media —COMM232

I’m fairly familiar with the Newseum’s regular exhibits, having been there three times now, and so on Saturday I breezed through the exhibits that I am familiar with, but took the time to pause at the Sept. 11 exhibit, which always catches my breath no matter how many times I go there.  The mangled staff that once topped Twin Towers and the wall of newspapers that voice the shock and outrage that swept the nation the next day always brings back a vivid recollection of how much news coverage went into this tragedy.

Similarly, John F. Kennedy’s assassination gripped the entire country—not just because he was an iconic figure, but also because for the first time in history, the media dedicated its entire time to covering JFK’s death and burial and broadcasting it to the nation for four days.  In both situations, an entire nation grieved as one with the help of our media.

The news and media help determine what our “Where were you?” moments are because they bring an entire group of people together for the same reason.  The technology revolution has only helped increase that sense of solidarity because it perpetuates the solidarity for people who were not able to experience the tragedies at the same time, and people can also share their thoughts and opinions through social media now, rather than relying on the one-way communication that used 50 years ago.

My brothers will never have a story for where they were on Sept. 11, much like how I will never have a story for JFK’s assassination, but there is always the idea that we will still share the same thoughts on the topic because media will have brought us together.

At the front of the JFK exhibit there is a wall that visitors can add to called “Where Were You?” where people can share where they were and what they were doing when they heard about JFK’s assassination, and other “Where were you?” moments.  People had scrawled different tragedies on their sticky notes like Sept. 11, Princess Diana’s car crash and the earthquake in Haiti.  Everyone has their own memorable moment constructed with the help of the media, which brings them closer to people whom they have never met. What is your “Where were you?” moment?