Newseum, set for spring debut, gets preliminary ‘wow’ from editors
Kristin Deasy is an editorial page intern at USA TODAY. Reach her at kdeasy@usatoday.com.
HAVING MISSED ONE DEALINE, the new Newseum in Washington, D.C., is now slated to open in the first few months of 2008.
The $450 million museum, featuring 500 years of press history, had been scheduled to open Oct. 15. But construction companies, museum officials found, have about as little respect for deadlines as some reporters, so no firm date has been set for the museum’s debut.
As for the question on the minds of ASNE members, Susan Bennett, deputy director of the Newseum, says she is very optimistic that the facility will be ready in time for next year’s April 13-16 ASNE convention. Scott Bosley, ASNE executive director, says Newseum officials told him they expect to host one of the convention receptions, and “as far as I know, that’s still on.”
The original Newseum, sponsored by the Freedom Forum, opened in 1997 in Arlington, Va. Five years and 2 million visitors later the museum closed, and planning began for a grander version in the heart of Washington’s tourist area.
The new incarnation will be the largest and most expensive museum of its kind in the nation. Its construction itself is a big story.
“We want to make sure everyone knows about us,” says Bennett. “We are very different. We are not the Smithsonian. We offer a completely different menu. That in and of itself will get us a lot of attention.”
The building, on Pennsylvania Avenue between the White House and the Capitol, is largely glass and composed of three distinct structural sections, or “pages.” Architects wanted museum-goers to make their way through a (mostly) transparent building analogous to a giant newspaper. When completed, the Newseum will encompass a sprawling 250,000 square feet of exhibits, and spending the day there will be a workout (seven floors up, a mile and a half around).
Entrance fees are pegged at $17 for adults, though Bennett says they are re-examining the price. Some activities will carry additional fees, such as the interactive exhibits, which encourage visitors to experiment in news production. Visitors can feature themselves in “broadcasts” and send the video feed to their personal Web sites.
Will the wait be worth it? Editors who have sneaked a peek think so. "You know, sometimes it's difficult to impress journalists, but there were a lot of people there who were really, ‘Wow!’ ” says Jan Tourney, managing editor of the Quad-City Times in Davenport, Iowa, who had a preview tour in early October. “What the Newseum does is blend the wonderful history and the foundation of our industry with the direction that we’re going into, the multimedia, and the immediacy.”
USA TODAY and Freedom Forum founder Al Neuharth says he expects the museum to be a big success and to draw attention to First Amendment freedoms. Even the museum’s clever name – brainchild of former Freedom Forum executive Jerry Friedheim – is a gem, Neuharth says.
“The interactive parts of the Newseum we hope and expect will really be attractive to children of all ages and inspire them,” he says. He hopes some will be encouraged to pursue careers in journalism.
The Newseum promises to be the most technologically advanced museum in Washington. It will feature two television studios (for museum programs as well as professional broadcasts), 15 theaters, one 4-D theater (the fourth dimension being seat simulation and special effects), 99 televisions and the world’s fastest hydraulic passenger elevators. A 40-by-22 foot high definition TV hanging in the main floor will be visible across the street.
The interactive exhibits “should remind the public of the multiple quick decisions that editors and reporters must constantly make,” says Bob Condon, city editor at The Post-Star in Glens Falls, N.Y. Museum planners, he adds, are “trying to get ahead of the ever-changing curve. It’s hard when you open up a museum that generally looks back, but you also need to look ahead.” *