by Felix Gutiérrez
Camera! Action in the Mission The brothers, actors and producers, Pete and Benjamin Bratt, come back to their Mission neighborhood filming and directing, Mission Street Rhapsody, a film about the life of a local low rider leader. A film of great social impact. The filming will last through out April 13. (Photo by Joe Villagomez)
When the Newseum, Washington D.C.’s newest attraction, opens next month, visitors will find Latino contributions to U.S. journalism integrated throughout the seven-level, interactive news museum on Pennsylvania Avenue.
“Hispanic content is in most of the Newseum galleries and is prominently displayed,” said Joe Urschel, Newseum senior vice president and executive director, who is responsible for exhibit content. Asked about last week’s Hispanic Link Weekly Report article alleging a near absence of Latinos in the Newseum, Urschel noted that the Newseum preview tour taken by writer Jim Carr covered only a small portion of what visitors will see when the Newseum opens April 11.
“He (Carr) saw just two films totaling less than 30 minutes. There are 27 hours of video content on display in the Newseum. He saw none of the galleries, none of the written content, nor any of the interactive databases,” said Urschel, who referred to more than 50 Newseum items relating to U.S. Hispanics.
To prepare for the opening, selected groups are taking preview tours as exhibits are being installed.
View of the Newseum in Washington, D.C.
Once the Newseum opens, visitors will see Latino contributions to journalism in most of its 14 major galleries. For instance, the Early News Gallery features an Incan quipu and Mayan vase, along with text explaining the complex communication systems of these pre-Hispanic civilizations.
Among the Latino Mexico’s Grupo Televisa, the world’s largest Spanish language media company and source of many Spanish-language television programs aired in the U.S, and El Salvador’s Radio Venceremos, a clandestine radio station.
Recognized in the Newseum’s Internet, Television and Radio Gallery are a number of Hispanic fi rsts: the fi rst Spanish language radio station; first Spanish-language TV station; first U.S. Spanish language nightly newscast; first Hispanic English language network anchor: and first Hispanic to regularly anchor an English-language network newscast.
People of all races and ages will have a chance to see these and other Latino journalism highlights when the Newseum opens its doors at 555 Pennsylvania Ave., Washington, D.C., on April 11.
Hispanic Link.
(Felix F Gutierrez, Ph.D., is Professor of Journalism, Communication and American Studies & Ethnicity at the University of Southern California and was a senior vice president of the Newseum in 2001).
