A Sneak Peek At The Newseum

I was at the Newseum in Washington today to cover the interment ceremony for four photojournalists killed in Vietnam. (Story: Newseum Ceremony Honors Four Vietnam Photojournalists.) The Newseum isn't finished yet – the photo above shows workers putting the finishing touches on a giant wall engraved with the words of the First Amendment – but some of it was open for guests to wander about. Here's a preview of what to expect when it opens to the public April 11....

The Newseum's massive new building is a substantial upgrade from its old headquarters in Arlington, Va. At its new location on Pennsylvania Avenue, adult admission is $20, plus another $8 if you want to participate in an interactive TV exhibit. Considering the nearby Smithsonian museums are free, what does the Newseum offer you for your money?

For one thing, a lot of computerized, interactive exhibits. There's an impressive "4-D" theater that shows a movie about reporting. Actors recreate great moments in the history of journalism while your seats rock, fans blow air and misters mist. You can feel the wind and the shaking of your chair as Edward R. Murrow broadcasts from the rooftop during the bombing of London.It's a little cheesy, but the special effects are impressive and kids will love it.

An exhibition on Pulitzer Prize-winning photography was still under construction, but will surely be a first stop for photographers once it opens.

Upstairs, here is the Journalists Memorial wall, etched with the names of fallen journalists.

A plaque marks the spot where the remains of four Vietnam photojournalists are interred.

Nearby are artifacts showing how dangerous reporting and photojournalism can be. The attention-getter is a bullet-hole-ridden truck used by photographer Christopher Morris while covering the war in the former Yugoslavia for Time.

There's a section of the Newseum dedicated to Sept. 11, including a display of cameras destroyed by World Trade Center dust (the display wasn't labeled yet, so I'm not sure whose they were) and the actual broadcasting mast from the top of one of the twin towers.

Other heavy-duty artifacts include a news helicopter and a communications satellite hanging in the atrium. A giant video screen is also there.

Out on the Pennsylvania Avenue sidewalk, the Newseum's popular front pages display (a holdover from the old Newseum and still available on its Web site) finds a new home.

Chef Wolfgang Puck is opening a nice restaurant in the Newseum building. You can even live in the Newseum!

Lastly, for a building with the First Amendment etched on the outside, I found this sign (upstairs) kind of funny. Perhaps its just temporary until the construction is finished.

Comments

[David]

It's funny how these museums are not allowing photos to be taken. At the Guggenheim last year during the Richard Prince exhibit no photos allowed either and if that is not ironic I don't think anything is.