JESSICA DaSILVA in D.C.

Wednesday I went to the Newseum, which I have decided is the Mecca of journalism.

Before I toured the Newseum, I went to the live broadcasting of National Public Radio’s show “Talk of the Nation.” This is one of my favorite NPR shows, so it was really cool to sit in the front row before the show and pick out Neal Conan based solely on his voice.

Barry Goldwater Jr. and John W. Dean (whom we all know was part of former President Richard Nixon’s White House Counsel) were the first guests on the show to talk about a new book they wrote called “Pure Goldwater.” The book is essentially a biography of former Sen. Barry Goldwater, who is recognized as the father of the modern Conservative movement.

From what I gathered from Goldwater and Dean, the book reflects the private thoughts of Barry Goldwater throughout his political career. It was really interesting to me to hear how much influence one man can have on people, not even as president or as a presidential candidate, but as a Congressman.

After the show was over, my friend Gabrielle and I toured some areas of the Newseum. We started with The Journalists Memorial, which commemorates all of the journalists who have risked their lives in the pursuit of news. It really touched me how many people laid down their lives to spread truth and possibly bring about change.

I’ve never considered myself an activist, but standing in that exhibit and reading about how noble my profession is, I feel like I reached a much deeper appreciation for my chosen profession. To me, there are not many other professions I consider to be more noble than journalism.

That reminded me of a quote I read in the 9/11 exhibit about there only being three people who ever run toward disaster: policemen, firemen and reporters. It’s true. Policemen and firemen must save lives, but journalists bear the burden of informing everyone else on what’s happening.

For me, the 9/11 exhibit really hit home. I come from a family of New Yorkers, so there is a very strong connection to that city for me. Reading about the coverage and watching films on the experience from a journalist’s perspective simply moved me to tears. The attack changed the lives of everyone, and it was thanks to those journalists who risked everything that we have the documentation to remind us of that day.

We also spent some time in the exhibit of Pulitzer Prize-winning photographs. All of the photos were so moving, but in very different ways. I feel like a lot of them are the kind of images that will be forever burned into my brain. Considering the weight of some of the subjects, I’m not sure how I feel about it. But I guess it’s necessary to remember tragedy and hardship to appreciate the life you live.

To end on a lighter note, I bought a Newseum whiskey glass (to drink milk out of, naturally and a black T-shirt that reads “Not tonight, dear… I’m on deadline.”

All in all, an awesome day chock full of news fun.

Here are some pictures: