If memorials to Abraham Lincoln, Thomas Jefferson and World War II immortalize the principles of freedom America was founded on, and the Library of Congress, Smithsonian and Nation Archives are the vaults of American history, then the Newseum in Washington, D.C., is a living testament and tribute to both.
The Newseum, which opened in its new location on Pennsylvania Avenue on April 11, is a monument to and exhibition of 45 words that established the bed-rock of American liberty: the First Amendment and the five freedoms it enshrines.
The seven-story, $450 million Newseum, which moved downtown from its original location in Northern Virginia, was built by the Freedom Forum, and corporate and private donors.
Perhaps the fact most exhibits are named for their sponsors – the News Corp. News History Gallery; the Bloomberg Internet, TV and Radio Gallery; and Cox Enterprises First Amendment Gallery – is a conspicuous reminder of how corporate consolidation has transformed journalism and media.
Several touch-screens and mini-theaters could keep visitors in the Newseum all day.
A tour should start on the top-floor terrace overlooking Pennsylvania Avenue and then proceed down the levels.
The interior layout – balconies ringing an open atrium with exhibits enclosed on the edges – is probably unfamiliar to traditional museum-goers and may be tricky to navigate.
Exhibits range from the first known pieces of recorded history on coins and portions of the Berlin Wall to a cell phone used by a Virginia Tech graduate student to record audio of gunshots inside Norris Hall and the infamous “Bong Hits 4 Jesus” banner.
Two exhibits of recent traumatic events probably touch visitors unlike any others: the 9/11 Gallery and an exhibit on convergence focusing on the Virginia Tech tragedy.
The gallery’s centerpiece is a broadcast tower from the World Trade Center, and a movie chronicles the disaster as told by the journalists who were there.
The massacre in Blacksburg is retold by how The Roanoke Times covered the unfolding events with “convergence,” an industry term for linear reporting using multimedia technology.
The Newseum is littered with quotes on the First Amendment, and Washington Post publisher Philip Graham observed, “Journalism is the first rough draft of history.”
But furbishing that first rough draft comes with sacrifices.
Wedged in a Newseum corner is the Journalists Memorial, recording the names of hundreds of fallen journalists dating back to 1837 on glass panels and with photographs.
The most appreciative exhibits focus candidly and objectively on journalism ethics and practices.
The News History Gallery has exhibits and videos dedicated to news judgment, mistakes, use of anonymous sources and public trust.
The Internet, Radio and TV Gallery has a feature video on the evolution of TV news and the public’s perception of such broadcasts.
But not all the exhibits are politics and tragedy. Teens should enjoy the Interactive Newsroom, where visitors can experience what it’s like to be a TV reporter or photographer, and try their knowledge at a news trivia game.
Three gift shops – one with children’s gifts, one with gadgets and trinkets, and one with DVDs and books – offer a wide collection of unique items, from John F. Kennedy playing cards to crossword puzzle boxer shorts. Yet, there is also sticker shock; several products seemed overpriced for their size and use.
The Newseum’s impressive Web site at Newseum.org features newspaper front pages from across America and the world (also on display at the museum) and the Journalists Memorial database of names.
Despite a higher price tag, the Newseum assuredly joins the Library of Congress, the Franklin Delano Roosevelt Memorial and the International Spy Museum as a hidden tourist gem in the nation’s capital.

MIKE FOX is a copy editor with the Bristol Herald Courier. Contact him at mfox@bristolnews.com.

NEWSEUM BY THE NUMBERS
35,000: Total number of historic newspaper front pages in the Newseum collection, going back nearly 500 years
6,214: Number of artifacts in the Newseum collection (excluding newspapers and photographs)
3,800: Images (cartoons, comics, front pages, photographs and other graphic elements) on display in the galleries and walkways
3,262: Age, in years, of the oldest artifact in the Newseum collection, a Cuneiform brick from Sumeria
1,063: Press passes in the Newseum collection
367: Historic newspapers and magazines on display in the News History Gallery
130: Interactive stations featuring more than two dozen different interactive programs throughout the Newseum
68: Pulitzer Prize-winning photographers interviewed for the Pulitzer Prize Photographs Gallery
15: Theaters
8: Sections of the Berlin Wall, each weighing approximately three tons and measuring 12 feet high and 4 feet across

IF YOU GO
Address: 555 Pennsylvania Ave., Washington D.C. 20001
Phone: (888) NEWSEUM (639-7386)
Web: www.newseum.org
Hours: 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily (gift shops open until 6 p.m.)
Food: Food court on concourse level
Parking: No on-site visitor parking available
Metro stop: Archives/Navy Memorial-Penn Quarter Station
Tickets: $20 for adults; $18 for seniors (65 and older); $13 for youth (ages 7-12); and free for children (age 6 and younger); annual passes also available
Advance tickets: Available online or by phone (includes $2 convenience charge)