Newseum

Just as you might have become jaded with the news coverage today, a visit to the Newseum will refresh your perspective of today's journalism profession. This exciting, interactive multi-level (seven, to be exact) museum, located off the Mall, pays tribute to news editors, news writers, TV personalities, photographers and those who spend their careers dedicated to bringing stories and headlines to the general public.

There are 14 main galleries within the Newseum. One is the Front Page gallery, which displays the front pages of 80 newspapers worldwide every single day. It provides an interesting insight into what would make the front page in one town but not in another. Another explores photojournalism, including an exhibit of various Pulitzer-prize winning photographs from different years. There’s also a gallery of 30,000 historic papers from around the world, tracing 500 years of news coverage. Some other galleries are dedicated to specific coverage, including the fall of the Berlin Wall; Sept. 11, 2001; and Lincoln’s assassination.

First Amendment rights are emphasized throughout the Newseum, because without it there might not be the kind of free press that exists today. There’s a 74-foot-high marble engraving of the amendment's text. The gallery uses various exhibits, artifacts and interactivity to convey this ideal and guarantee as a ticket to strong journalism.

The history of news coverage is another gallery featuring a fascinating history, from newspapers to radio to the growth of television and now digital communications. Equally dramatic is the World News gallery, which lets visitors compare news around the world and its difference in freedom of the press. The Journalist Memorial Wall pays tribute to news-editorial professionals who risked their lives to cover a story.

Temporary exhibitions come through the Newseum as well. "First Dogs" is a recent one that looks at the various presidential pets through history through photos and anecdotes. "Inside Tim Russert's Office" takes a look at the favorite political TV personality who died, suddenly, in 2008. And another exhibit currently features the photography of Walter Iooss, Jr., who worked for Sports Illustrated.

The interactive center lets visitors play journalist for a moment by creating stories and laying out a newspaper, to reading news on a teleprompter. Visitors can opt to take home their recorded video for a price. For a more realistic behind-the-scenes view of television news coverage, there’s a news studio sometimes used by the major networks. This studio is open to the public even while in use.

Several theaters exist throughout the Newseum, showing films about famous journalists and specific themes coverage. These offer an interesting insight to behind-the-scenes coverage and the painstaking news gathering that occurs to draw a story together for press. Various journalists often visit the Newseum to give talks and lectures about different issues in journalism. Check the Web site calendar for details.

HelloMetro Tip: Unlike the other Washington museums, Newseum requires purchase of tickets. But it's well worth the cost: $19.95 for adults to enter, $12.95 for children 7-18. Seniors, military and students with I.D. are $17.95.

- by Rin-rin Yu, Washington Reporter for HelloMetro  (Click to leave a message)

Rin-rin Yu

Rin-rin is an award-winning writer and journalist based in the Baltimore-Washington area. Her work has appeared in China Daily, DAYSPA magazine, Luxury Home Design, Aquatics International, Not For Tourists and other publications. Rin-rin has also worked for ABC News, WHDH-TV (NBC) in Boston and Hanley Wood Business Media. She has a master's degree from the Medill School of Journalism at Northwestern University. She is an avid world traveler and maintains a travel blog, www.mytravelhats.com.