In a town where world-class museums, monuments, and landmark buildings (literally a stone's throw away) are often free to the public, the nonprofit-operated Newseum charges as much as $20 (though children are free or $13, depending on their age).
But if you have a wide interest in news and the world and believe in the critical role that a free press plays in maintaining a democracy, the Newseum is well worth a visit. Some exhibits are surprisingly powerful.
I got the $75 Annual Press Pass, which entitles you to unlimited admission for a year and counts as a charitable donation.
About The Newseum
The Newseum was formerly located in Rosslyn, VA across the Potomac River from Washington, but in 2007 they opened in a glossy modern new building at one of the most exclusive addresses in Washington, on Pennsylvania Avenue a few blocks west of the US Capitol.
On the top floor they have a glass-enclosed observation gallery with an outside terrace that provides a scenic view of the Capitol. Inside, the building is filled with theaters and multimedia exhibits covering the history of news and media from ancient times to the digital age.
The Orientation Film
I found the 15 minute orientation video on the sub-basement Concourse level disappointing, which surprised a staff member who asked my opinion -- she said that most people found it thought-provoking.
Though slickly-produced (as you'd expect at a museum focused on news) and narrated by Charles Osgood's distinctive voice, I found the video long on platitudes and short on substance.
They spent 13 minutes trying to define news in vague terms (as events that tap strong human emotions, such as love, hate, and war), then had a desultory 2 minute overview of what to expect in the museum.
To me this was all obvious and I found the museum guide part mostly unhelpful. In fact, I missed what looked like a fascinating FBI exhibit because I didn't notice it until closing time.
Understanding The Newseum
So here's my version of what I think they should have told us in the orientation video. On a practical level, The Newseum's attractions break down into six distinct categories:
- Interactive exhibits of mostly a lighter, more entertaining nature
- Multimedia presentations in theaters
- Conventional museum collections of historical artifacts and photos
- Architectural elements of the museum itself
- Short-term special exhibitions
- Emotionally powerful exhibits that are probably too intense for children and sometimes adults
Otherwise, though it was alluded to, I don't think they truly made a convincing case for why an uncensored free press -- even if you disagree vehemently with its positions -- is essential for a democratic republic (i.e., acts as the Fourth Estate).
How To Tour The Newseum
If you can devote at least 3 hours to The Newseum, then I'd suggest you start at the top and work your way down, as the orientation film recommends. But it doesn't hurt to get there via the basement (the Concourse Level).
Concourse Level
If you go down one level to the Concourse, there's a section of the Berlin Wall with some photographs documenting the escape across the wall in the Cold War era. But it lacks the emotional immediacy of going through the museum at Checkpoint Charlie in Berlin.
You don't truly feel the desperation of the people trying to escape the East, nor the sense of oppression in West Berlin when the Wall existed -- and the exalted sensation of freedom once it came tumbling down. But this exhibit is a nice start and it looks like they have a lot of room to add to it.
In front of this segment are the doors to the glass elevators (which the film claims are the tallest hydraulic elevators in the world). You can either take these elevators to the top of the building or go through the visiting exhibitions on the other end of the Concourse.
6th Floor
The top (6th) floor has the observation deck and mostly historical exhibits. The observation deck and terrace provide a beautiful view of downtown Washington and Capitol Hill, and as you might expect the Newseum is already sold out on Inauguration Day as a prime location to view the Inauguration Parade route. The terrace has an interesting chronology of the history of Pennsylvania Avenue.
5th Floor
A small exhibit on news in ancient days starts on the 6th Floor and then leads down to more extended historical collections on the 5th Floor.
Most of the exhibits are somewhat dry in tone but I did find it interesting to see an authentic page from one of the original Gutenberg Bibles (though they didn't explain why Gutenberg went bankrupt during their printing). The knotted news threads carried by South American Indian couriers were an interesting twist.
I found many of the historical sections (containing historic newspapers and media) to be somewhat busy, meaning that there was so much material that you either had to really slow down and examine everything closely or else just skim by. It wasn't obvious what was interesting at a glance.
Behind the newspapers was the first large theater, with an ever-changing 100-foot wide screen combining video and static photographs. This was often interesting depending on what was being shown.
4th Floor
The next level is where I found myself truly engaged for the first time, and it was an emotionally harrowing experience. The 9/11 exhibit begins in a conventional way, with the twisted wreckage of the antenna from the North Tower and a soaring wall of blaring headlines from newspapers the day after the attacks.
When you walk around a column you see the battered camera gear and the pictures taken by Bill Biggart, a photographer who lived a few blocks from the World Trade Center and who raced to the scene. Biggart died when the buildings collapsed and as a short film explains, his camera was recovered from the rubble with the jarring photos he'd taken in the last hours of his life.
But it's when you enter a small theater showing a documentary about the journalists who covered the September 11, 2001 attacks that the day suddenly comes sweeping over you.
Interspersing interviews with the journalists with footage of the attacks and the aftermath, the raw emotion of 9/11 is abruptly visited upon you, and I could sense myself and others in the room cracking under the weight. I didn't see anyone who was able to watch more than a short segment.
It has to be deliberate that the exhibit right next to 9/11 is a fluffy, lighthearted gallery of Presidential dogs ranging from George Washington's pooch to the as-yet-unacquired Obama First Canine. If nothing else it's a good place to park the kids.
2nd Floor
I went through the 3rd Floor quickly, which mainly focused on TV and radio news and included the Newseum's own Master Control Room.
Dropping down a level the main attraction of the 2nd floor is the bank of television studios where you can record yourself on camera. Standing before a blue screen you choose the background and the theme (such as a sports or weather report) and then read a script from a teleprompter. This one should be a hit with the kids.
To the side of the studios is an ethics display, and what's cool here is an interactive light projector table that lets you answer thorny ethical questions for stories in a newspaper. You can play in teams against an opponent, and the table senses the position and movement of your hand to let you "scoop up" little journalists into the question area and then record your selected answers.
1st Floor
On the first (ground) floor, the east wing of the building hosts Pulitzer Prize-winning photographs. What I didn't expect (but should have) was how powerful these pictures are, at least the ones accompanied by the backstory and context.
There's a reason these photographs won the prize, and some of them are disturbing and/or extremely graphic. The ones that are displayed without explanation didn't trigger this kind of reaction in me.
Mezzanine Level
Finally, in a mezzanine level between the ground floor and Councourse is a "4D" theater where they show a short 13-minute film about some historical journalists. Using flimsy 3D glasses and moving seats (the 4th dimension, which feels tacked-on and unconvincing) the film has corny acting but I think gives a sense of why journalism matters.
In other words, in most other parts of the museum, the focus is upon the news subjects or the mechanisms; this film, as cornball as it is, starts to delve into journalism's heart.
The reason I suggest seeing this film last is that you have to catch it at one of the scheduled showings (which run about every 20 minutes). Also, they run a last showing as the rest of the museum closes at 5 pm.
The Changing Exhibits
My main disappointment was that I didn't notice the temporary FBI "G-Men" exhibit until after closing time, especially since you can't tour the FBI itself anymore.
I was able to poke my head in there long enough to see that it had a kind of cool gangsterland vibe, including John Dillinger's death mask. Fortunately, with an annual pass I can go back easily and the exhibit runs through December 2009.
The Newseum Experience
The Newseum staff is very conscious that they are competing against free alternatives and they work hard to provide a welcoming atmosphere. The exhibits that make it really worthwhile are 9/11 and The Pulitzer Prize photographs, but these may be too intense for many. Kids in particular will likely enjoy the television studio, 4D theater, light table game, and maybe the Presidential dogs.
The widescreen theater on the 5th floor can also be engaging depending on the show playing, and the terrace provides a panoramic view of the US Capitol and Pennsylvania Avenue.
The FBI G-Men exhibit that will be resident throughout 2009 will appeal to anyone who has even a passing affection for gangster movies.
Logistics and Getting There
The Newseum is near the Archives-Navy Memorial-Penn Quarter (Yellow-Green Line) and Gallery Place-Chinatown (Red Line) Metro Stations, and is just blocks from Capitol Hill and the National Mall. The day's newspapers from around the world line the sidewalk outside on Pennsylvania Avenue and can be read without going in.
The Newseum exhibits close at 5 pm but the shops remain open until 6 pm, so I wouldn't waste time going through the shops until the end. The Concourse level also has a restaurant run by Wolfgang Puck catering, but I'd already eaten lunch so I only had a fruit tart there and can't really vouch for the food.
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