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Newseum: Must-see In D.c.

April 11, 2009 12:35 am

THE THING that really struck me about the Newseum wasn't how much I saw in a visit there, but how much I had missed. This, despite spending an entire day there last Sunday.

The six floors of the relocated Newseum's building on Pennsylvania Avenue near the Capitol in Washington are packed with 14 galleries covering journalism in all its seemingly endless iterations through recent centuries.

In the course of the day a friend and I took in details of news events giving a close-up look at the history of the country through the efforts of those who bring the day's big stories to the people.

The Newseum building, situated just north of the National Gallery of Art, is a striking example of contemporary design, centered around a bright, six-story atrium. This organizing space is so large that an actual communications satellite and a Bell Jet Ranger news helicopter appear rather small within it. There is nothing subtle about this building.

some highlights

There is scarcely space here to describe the exhibits, features, 15 theaters, two stores, introductory films, documents and artifacts; but highlighting several of them ought to give some idea how worthwhile it is to visit.

In the course of our day we:

Delved into American journalism's origins in the rough-and-tumble Colonial period.

Did a stand-up television newscast about the Cherry Blossom Festival from the Tidal Basin (simulated, but real enough to make an actual journalist nervous).

Took in one of the most spectacular views of downtown Washington, including the real Cherry Blossom Parade!

Got a sobering look at a crumpled antenna from atop the World Trade Center.

Examined dozens of historic newspaper front pages spotlighting key headline events.

Got shaken, rattled and rolled in the 4-D Theater film.

Got great seats in the live audience for an interview with comedian Mark Russell in the "Inside Media" television show. Fascinating to watch how those shows come together.

Looked at a huge section of the Berlin Wall and walked inside a rebuilt guard tower.

First Amendment freedoms are repeatedly emphasized in Newseum exhibits, pounding it into visitors that they must never be taken for granted.

The designers put much thought (to say nothing of masses of money) into this project. One little touch we enjoyed was the real headline bloopers decorating the walls of--are you ready?--the restrooms. Not to be missed, these.

The Newseum is popular. Despite the high price of admission, visitation was fairly heavy on the day we went. We bought lunch in the food court on the Concourse and, for cafeteria food, it was excellent. My seafood gumbo was almost up to New Orleans quality.

NEWS NOT GLAMOROUS

Lest I come off like a PR person for the Newseum, this lifelong news guy, who toured there with another veteran reporter, definitely found some nits to pick.

Chief among these is that the Newseum is so intent on entertaining visitors that it might easily mislead as to the real nature of the news business. Here's the nub: Neither journalism nor the stories it covers are particularly entertaining. For the most part it is a serious business about important events.

Where's the community journalism? This is a fault I found with the Newseum when it was located in Rosslyn. Not everything happens on the grand stage of national or international affairs. Those of us who, by choice, spent entire careers trying to inform readers about the world closer to home are woefully underrepresented here.

Lastly, journalism in the trenches, day by day, is not the stuff of Woodward and Bernstein and "All the President's Men." Every day is not "The Front Page." You are reading this in one of the finest community newspapers in the world. No exaggeration. Every story in each edition was some reporter's assignment. It is, for the most part, far from glamorous. It is exacting, important work under daily pressures.

You will find plenty of excitement and no small amount of entertainment at The Newseum. And that's a good start.

Paul Sullivan of Spotsylvania County, a former reporter with The Free Lance-Star, is a freelance writer. E-mail him at PBSullivan2@cs.com.