Astronauts
as Photojournalists: Reporting From the Moon
The Apollo 11 astronauts — Armstrong, Aldrin and Collins—took
some memorable photographs of the moon’s surface and of Earth.
Were these men not only astronauts, but photojournalists too? They
certainly documented their surroundings for the media. Their photographs
appeared in magazines around the world. They gave the world "eyewitness"
reports. They reported on their experience to countless media outlets—in
newspapers and magazines and also on television and radio.
Think
About What It Means To Be a Photojournalist
Keep
an eye out for photos in the newspaper and for video clips on
TV that were not taken by professional journalists. Are they
noticeably different from those taken by actual photojournalists? Be
aware of situations where you could play an active role in documenting
an event—either as a reporter or as a photojournalist.
Think about what it means to be a photojournalist. Is a soldier who
takes pictures of a battle a photojournalist? If you take pictures
of an event at your school, does that make you a photojournalist?
If bystanders videotape a car accident, are they photojournalists?
The astronauts played many roles in their journey to the moon. They
were scientists, explorers, U.S. ambassadors and, possibly, photojournalists
too.
Questions
to Think About at the Newseum How did the
astronauts act like photojournalists? How did their
other scientific duties get in the way of their documenting
the mission?
Keep
an eye out for photos in the newspaper and for video clips on
TV that were not taken by professional journalists. Are they
noticeably different from those taken by actual photojournalists?
How did the
astronauts act like photojournalists?