Whether it’s election results, political events, sporting successes, or environmental disasters, it has never been easier than it is today to stay up to date with world events anytime, anywhere. However, one downside is that constant exposure to current news can be tiring and overwhelming. Added to this is growing skepticism about the credibility of news content.
Even before the advent of AI technologies, it was becoming increasingly important to check whether a rapidly disseminated news item was true and reliable. The increased use of fake news for ideological purposes also carries the risk that news will lose its most important function: to inform people so that they can make informed and democratic decisions about the shape of society.
The exhibition “News”, conceived by the Museum für Kommunikation Berlin and on display at the Museum der Arbeit from October 14, sheds light on the development of news from the perspective of both those who create it and those who receive it. It takes a look behind the scenes of the media and presents the work of agencies, correspondents, and editorial offices. A series of historical transmission and terminal devices bring to life a time when news did not yet spread around the globe in seconds. Against this backdrop, visitors are invited to create their own news item.
Using classic object presentations, but also in the form of playful, participatory, and multimedia elements designed for all age groups from the 9th grade onwards, the exhibition highlights the changes that the way we deal with news has undergone in recent decades.
Press photos from the dpa from the past 75 years, current headlines and jingles from news programs, and findings from news usage research initially introduce visitors to the topic. Stations with “kiosks” deal with news as a commodity and describe the historical development of information into a commercial offering and the emergence of mass media and news agencies. Historical audio and video material clearly shows how news transmission has accelerated and how our use of news has been condensed by new media.
Other interactive stations are dedicated to the importance of journalistic standards and show how news reports can be distinguished from opinion and facts from fakes. The exhibition at the Museum of work also plans to include a separate section on Hamburg as one of Germany’s most important media locations and the headquarters of broadcasters, publishers, and news agencies with wide reach and high circulation.
A exhibition by Museumsstiftung Post und Telekommunikation / Museum für Kommunikation Berlin.
