Its title does not reflect art, history, nature, or the ancient world, yet its content includes it all. The Newseum offers exhibits encompassing all types of media.
Lining the exterior walls of the museum, the front pages of the most influential newspapers in the world draws in tourists.
The Newseum holds a room of newspaper front pages from many of the most significant and momentous days in history. Ranging in interests from Pearl Harbor to September 11th, the newspaper cover pages are well organized in roll-out drawers. While intriguing, these drawers are situated in a long and narrow room. The inconvenient shape of the room made it difficult to maneuver, especially when crowded with tourists.
The popular 9/11 exhibit offers a new angle. Complete with a documentary by reporters and journalists who covered the event and were literally feet away from the collapsing building, viewers are satisfied by the insightful perspective: the impact of this unfortunate day on those individuals whose responsibly it was to broadcast it to the world.
This exhibit also includes a wall of newspaper headlines from the days following the attack, which shows the impact of this day on other countries.
The documentary theater is just one aspect of the 9/11 exhibit. Viewers crowd around the artifact boxes and mini-T.V. screens, both blocking the flow of the exhibit, as well as causing ennui to the many viewers who also want to watch the complete documentary and slowly peruse through the interesting artifacts.
However, the documentary is well made, and the emotion is apparent in every reporter. The displays in this exhibit also were neatly arranged, with detailed information prearranged to read as heartfelt stories about the reporters involved in this tragic event.
There are limited artifacts when compared to other 9/11 exhibits. However, they commemorate William Biggart, a skilled reporter and photographer who died documenting the event.
As a fun addition, the Newseum presents an interactive opportunity to televise a news broadcast. Participants may choose their background setting and subject matter and read a teleprompter, emulating professional reporters. The Newseum provides these mock reporters with a picture of their experience and a link to view their broadcast online.
This exhibit shows just how hard it is to read a teleprompter, while having to do a “live” broadcast. It’s entertaining to rewatch the broadcast, as well as watching reports from other Newseum attendees. Unfortunately, this experience carries an additional cost to the entrance fee at the museum.
A highly visual exhibit on the Berlin Wall includes several large pieces of the wall, as well as the only East German guard tower in the U.S. Visitors are allowed to stand in the tower, where there are realistic sound effects of guards shouting and marching.
While the Newseum is on the whole unique and informative, it is not set up to accommodate many visitors in any one exhibit at a time. The theaters are small and the seating provisions are even fewer. There is a 4-D I-MAX highlighting some of the great journalists and reporters of our time, which is unfortunately relatively short.
While many museums in the D.C. area are free, the Newseum charges twenty dollars per person. Consequently, many tourists may bypass this museum for one of the other equally intriguing, free museums in the locale.
However, the Newseum is well worth the visit. Its variety in subject matter and unique concepts make for a new and exciting addition to Washington D.C.’s recognized collection of museums.
The main entrance of Newseum. Photo courtesy of http://onlinenewswatch.blsci.org/wp-content/uploads/2008/04/newseum-06.jpg
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