Newseum Opens in Washington, D.C.

Photo: Polshek Partnership Architects

Newseum to Open in New Home Friday

By Brett Zongker, Associated Press Writer

WASHINGTON (AP)—A mangled and twisted metal tower that once broadcast radio and television signals to New York City from the top of the World Trade Center has a new home at the Newseum, Washington's monument to press freedom and other protections of the First Amendment.

The tower is just one striking artifact inside the high-tech journalism museum, which also includes large sections of the Berlin Wall, archival video and newspapers dating back nearly 500 years, and thousands of other objects to wow news junkies.

The Newseum opens Friday in a $450 million ultramodern glass building on Pennsylvania Avenue—prominently seated on the last available site between the Capitol and the White House. The opening caps seven years of planning and construction after the original and much smaller Newseum closed in Arlington, Va., in 2002....

READ ON at the Associated Press website, ap.org

______________________

Mike

Featured Comment by Charlie H: "A great friend of mine produced the Pulitzer series. He's the one asking the questions that you don't hear. It was a Herculean effort tracking down all the photographers and getting them to sit down for an interview, and it took several years to complete. In fact, one of the interviews was shot at my house. I was responsible for supplying lunch, shrimp poboys. I haven't been yet, but I will be going up soon to see it. I do not believe that any public funds were used to build the Newseum, so I don't know what anyone's gripe is. The tradition of a strong and independent press is one of this country's greatest assets and that we are recognizing it is a good thing in my book. I wonder what year China's newseum will open?"

Comments

[Ken Tanaka]

We are living in an era of unprecedented proliferation of new museums and museum expansions. It's likely that we're at the end of this era, given the current powerful expulsion of gas from the economy.

This "newseum", at least in my opinion, represents the silly, self-important egotism segment of this phenomenon. Our kids and young adults, in the main, cannot distinguish between the (American) Civil War and the Revolutionary War but they'll line with fist-fulls of cash to see the history of Katie Couric's hairstyles?

Well, to each its own. But if this is your cup of tea be sure to also take in the International Shoe Lace and Insole History Museum. It's a $300 million masterpiece by a prominent Italian architect. It's just down the street.

[Ambrose]

Hi Mike,

I was able to make it to the grand opening of the Newseum today. The place is quite spectacular. The most interesting part of the Newseum for me was the Pulitzer Prize Winning Photography exhibit. Spectacular and unforgettable images from the last 66 years. There is a HD video playing of some of the photographers and how they got those prize-winning photos. Highly recommended.

Ambrose

[Mike Johnston]

Ken, EASY, man!! Don't you think you should at least set foot in the place before unleashing such vitriol? Who knows, you might even enjoy yourself.

Mike J.

[Ken Tanaka]

Mike; I actually do have a bit more depth and grounding about this project, but that's a separate subject.

Here are two pieces in today's New York Times on the Washington "newseum".

First, an architecture review: http://tinyurl.com/52kbyp
Next, a general review of the museum: http://tinyurl.com/3j9u5u

[erlik]

Enjoy the Newseum, it might be the last place where you'll notice proper journalism. I was reading something about somebody from the States the other day and it said the person majored in journalism with the stress on advertising. Eurgh.

[John Camp]

I agree with Ken. A half-billion dollars? For what? You get to see the Watergate door? It's a flippin' *door.* You can see one just like it at the Holiday Inn, for free. LL Cool J explains the First Amendment? If they're looking for a black guy to front for them (there are not very many in actual newsrooms) why didn't they get Justice Thomas to do it? He's had a lot of experience with the media. Is this the same Katie Couric who, according to the papers earlier this week, CBS is trying to find a way to ditch, because of low ratings? There's a piece of history for you. The first female anchor to be thrown off the ship because nobody was watching. Ah...Maybe I'm just getting old and cranky...really cranky.

JC

[Yanchik]

Ken ! It's me again ! Remember last time we corresponded ? I'm back with the same request...

Express your view, by all means, but don't just express it, back it up.

What's not to like about the Newseum ? It's not the best, sure, but the best is the enemy of the good, remember, and I'd have thought that anything that inspired a bit of curiousity about the news-reporting process and reminded us the horrifying, choking fact that journalism is part of the feedback loop that forms democracy - it's gotta be helpful, right ?

I'm writing from the UK, where we lose out in the democracy league tables because one individual owns 40% of our media, and the BBC make up a lot of the rest of it. And I'm looking across trying to puzzle you lot out as usual, now that Alistair Cooke's dead and buried. When I went to the Newseum (1999) it was cheesy and made me wince, but I figured that was because us Brits don't do idealism in public. But I respected what the Newseum seemed to me to be trying to say. Where's the bad ?

Yours truly, intrigued again,

Y