World's most interactive museum

    “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion or prohibiting the free exercise thereof or abridging the freedom of speech or of the press or the right of the people peaceably to assemble and to petition the government for a redress of grievances.” Standing 74-feet-tall, these powerful words of the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution engraved outside the Newseum’s magnificent building, establishing the essence of journalism embraced throughout the museum.

    This massive $450 million, 250,000 square foot high-tech museum opened its doors merely three weeks ago, allowing the public an insight on the creation and importance of news. The Newseum consists of 14 galleries and 15 theaters with the world’s most memorable news stories, people, places and events that made the headlines in print, as well as the breaking news seen on television and read on the Internet.

    Upon entrance to the 7-floor wonder, front pages of the day’s prominent newspapers from major cities in the U.S. and around the world are displayed as part of the “Today’s Front Pages Gallery.” The gallery continues its coverage on level 6, the highest level. Across from the gallery is the Pennsylvania Avenue Terrace, which overlooks the busy streets and provides an amazing view of the U.S. Capitol. Also on the terrace is the history of what is known as “America’s Main Street” encased along the rail. Making your way down to the next level, by your choice of stairs or an elevator, you will enter the Newseum’s largest gallery.

    Here, the “News History Gallery” has on display various news from the past 500 years. In the center of the gallery is an island  containing a timeline of historic newspapers dating as far back as 1545.  Headlines featuring the death of Jesse James, the sinking of the Titanic, the success of Babe Ruth and the invasion of Germany capture front pages. In addition, the island has 10 touch screen monitors equipped with games testing your knowledge of famous journalists and images of numerous publications.

    Along the walls of the gallery, collective artifacts and memorabilia are showcased. These walls journey through the evolution of journalism from the typewriter to the computer, and the progression of photojournalism as well as the trial and errors journalists continually encounter. Highlighting the walls is the introduction of women to the field of broadcast journalism and the Watergate scandal. Displaying great artifacts, these exhibits help portray the importance of reporting and the determination involved. The sensation is equally cogent as the gallery presents humor by featuring several comedy shows on one of its many large plasma screens.

    Behind the walls of the “News History Gallery” are five theaters that take a deeper, more profound look at news and different aspects of American history, such as Martin Luther King and the Civil Rights Movement. Level 5 also includes the “Big Screen Theater,” a video wall roughly 100 feet long exhibiting documentaries and news from the past and present. An additional access way to Level 4 can be found in the “Big Screen Theater.”

    Level 4 holds two of the museums most powerful galleries, the “First Amendment Gallery” and the “9/11 Gallery.” The “First Amendment Gallery” explores a variety of cases  demonstrating  our most important freedoms: speech, press, assembly, petition and religion. A wall including videos and a collection of artifacts throughout the U.S., unveils the struggles teens and their families face in exercising their rights in school and on public grounds.
 
    The “Freedom of  Petition” wall dedicates a section to the popular advocacy group called MADD (Mothers Against Drunk Driving), which encourages citizens to take action for their voices to make a difference.  The “Five Freedoms Walkway” is a path leading to one of the museum’s most emotionally
gripping galleries, the “9/11 Gallery.”

    This popular gallery brings a crowded room to silence with mere images as they remember the tragic events of that day. A wall of the gallery that stretches for over the length of two floors is laminated with the top newspapers covering the attack on America.  The gallery includes an antenna that used to be on top of the World Trade Center with a time line summarizing the events that took place on 9/11.  In addition, the gallery includes a theater featuring the journalists who covered the calamity.  The stories told in the theater brought tears to nearly every viewer and made the gallery unforgettable.  

    The third level includes many interactive exhibits such as the “Digital News” and “World News” sections.  This level is highly focused on the importance of the Internet, TV, and radio throughout history.  Furthermore, it contains a gallery for journalists who passed away while doing their jobs.  The Journalists Memorial pays  tribute to the journalists as well as reminds the viewer of their contributions to the world.  In addition, the Digital News gallery contains a time line of electronic news beginning in 1920 continuing to the present.  

    Overall the Newseum has a variety of collections that aid the visitors in understanding the chronological progress of journalism in America as well as the rest of the world.  The Newsuem, with its state-of-the-art technology and abundance of content, helps preserve history and the evolution of journalism.  

For more information about the Newsuem and its contents please visit www.newseum.org or call 888/NEWSEUM.