Saturday, January 24, 2009

What's on Your Front Page?

If you haven't visited the Newseum, a museum in Washington D.C. about journalism, be sure to visit its website, especially the page where you can read the front pages of 725 newspapers from 69 countries. It's colorful, intriguing, and full of energy. I find it fascinating.

There is a loud cry in this country that the newspaper is dying. It may be ture, especially for the paper newspaper. There is even a Newspaper Death Watch web site counting down the last days of newspaper. But the situation can be different in other countries, especially the developing counties. In fact, according to an article in the Economist, newspapers are kicking and thriving there, many enjoying double digit growth in circulation. The sheer number of newspapers on the Newseum web site seems to validate that article.

You would also love the web site if you are curious about how other countries handle news and interpret current events. What's in a country's newspaper (and what's not) can tell a lot about that country's news environment, politics and culture. I once used several front pages from the Newseum web site to illustrate the world's reactions to Obama's presidential run in a radio show. It worked out pretty nicely.

1 comment:

jbd said...

Great site. Thanks for the tip!