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SPACES

History of news at a glance: The Atrium of the newseum.

As one steps into the atrium, a vertical and horizontal expanse greets the visitors. And yet, the seemingly vacuous space almost at once integrates and absorbs everyone there. Welcome to Newseum, a unique interactive museum dedicated to the world of news. Beginning April 11, 2008, hundreds of people who visit Washington DC can add one more to their long list of “must see” places. Symbolically, the museum is located on Pennsylvania Avenue, between the Capitol Hill and the White House, indicating the watchdog role the Fourth Estate plays on two important arms — Legislature and Executive — of democracy.

“This (museum) is not for journalists but for the 20 million visitors (who come to Washington DC each year) …to see democracy in action…A free press is the cornerstone in a democracy,” Chief Executive Officer Charles Overby said, summing up the spirit behind creating the Newseum. And the journey begins in right earnest. Just as in newspapers, where the front page showcases what the daily contains, a similar concept drives the designers who offer the visitors a glimpse of what they can expect. The 90-foot-high atrium enables visitors to see at a glance the exhibits from top to bottom. And for those keen to have a finger on the throbbing pulse, a giant, high-definition media screen features historical and current events.

Suspended from the ceiling is a replica of the 1966 Applications Technology Satellite 1, launched by the National Aeronautical Space Agency that made the first live global telecast of “Our World” possible and a replicate of a news chopper, Bell 206B Jet Ranger, used by networks to gather news.

The History Gallery is the largest and built around a collection of more than 30,000 historic newspapers which traces more than 500 years of news, largely American in nature, including pages announcing the assassination of John F. Kennedy, the Watergate episode and Clinton’s near impeachment.

The section has a New York Daily News reporter’s camera which he hid under his pants and used to secretly photograph execution of Ruth Snyder in 1928 and the notebook used by Newsweek reporter when he uncovered the story of President Bill Clinton’s relationship with White House intern Monica Lewinksy. This section has five theatres that explore specific themes like media credibility and objectivity, technological advances, diversity in news and in news rooms to blogging and citizen journalists. The Newseum’s 3,200 artefacts offer the visitors a peep into the history of how news travelled before printing presses arrived. These include the Cuneiform writing brick from Sumeria, and a 2,756-year-old statue of Thoth, the Egyptian god of scribes.

The World News Gallery offers television news and comparison of press freedom in over 190 countries with a breathtaking picture portraying the danger reporters face around the globe while reporting news. A bullet-ridden, armour-reinforced pickup truck used by reporters and photographers is there to illustrate the perils while the Journalists Memorial panel is a poignant tribute to those who lost their lives in the line of duty.

Etched on 24 glass panels are names of over 1,800 journalists — including 65 in India — who died with their boots on, in the Crimean War, the U.S. Civil War, the two World Wars and to terrorists, insurgents and to violence all over the world.

A 40-foot watch tower and eight sections of the original Berlin wall with Graffiti is a relic of the Cold War era while a mangled TV tower recovered from the World Trade Centre is mute testimony to the event and a grim reminder of current challenges. The antenna is placed against the backdrop of a panel showing the front pages of newspapers reporting the attack.

In the fun zone, each visitor (for a price of $8) can do a PTC (piece to camera) either from the Capitol, the Supreme Court, the White House or the Newseum or find out about the ethics of journalism. Interestingly, the tiles in the toilets show what pressures of newsrooms can do: bloomers in the headlines.

For those who do not want to step in, each day’s front pages of news papers from across 50 States in the U.S. are there to be read. And those who buy the $20 entrance ticket also get to read and compare front pages of some 500-odd newspapers every day from all over the world on the terrace that offers a breathtaking view of the majestic Capitol Hill.

Each floor is a standalone structure and one can begin at the floor or at the seventh level of the museum that promises to offer an environment allowing the visitors a “behind the scenes” experience of how and why news is made.

The $450 Million Newseum is spread across seven floors over 2,50,000 sq ft containing 35,000 historic front pages dating back 500 years, over 6,200 artefacts and 3,800 images that include cartoons, comics, front pages, photographs and other graphic elements.

Several other nuggets are peppered around the museum built by “the Freedom Forum, a non-partisan foundation dedicated to free press, free speech and free spirit for all people”.

The newseum, re-located from Arlington, Virginia, is a peep into the past while offering, at the same time, a glimpse into history in the making.

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