By John Pierce
To err is human. To err in a headline is to end up on a bathroom wall in the Newseum.
Strategically located on Pennsylvania Ave., between the White House and the U.S. Capitol, the Newseum is a worthy destination for visitors to Washington, D.C. There is so much to see.
During my visit this week, however, I spent hours in a symposium on religious liberty and didn’t get the chance to browse the wonderful exhibits which are always informative and inspiring. However, I did visit the restroom on occasion.
The walls of the bathrooms throughout the Newseum have unique tiling. Scattered among the porcelain, chrome and lighting are tile recreations of bad newspaper headlines.
They are good for a laugh — and a reminder that humans are imperfect.
For those of us who write headlines and proof read articles again and again prior to publication, these “oops” may cause us to sharpen our eagle-eyed efforts.
But then, with the Newseum’s fascinating exhibits on everything from the Civil War’s impact on American journalism to Tim Russert’s office to Anchorman props, it might be enough for a journalist’s work to just end up on a bathroom wall.
Director of the Jesus Worldview Initiative at Belmont University in Nashville, Tennessee and former executive editor and publisher at Good Faith Media.