ARLINGTON, Va. -- The definition emblazoned by the doorway informs visitors to the Newseum that news is "1. A report of recent events, especially unusual or notable ones."
This report concerns such an event: The world's first interactive museum of news and the newest attraction in metropolitan Washington, opened Friday across the Potomac River from the Lincoln Memorial.
Vice President Al Gore was on hand for opening day festivities and President Clinton telephoned his good wishes.
"We are here to celebrate the press," Gore said. "This is where we take a critical look at how that freedom has been used and sometimes abused."
Five years and $50 million in the making, the multimedia, whiz-bang, hands-on, admission-free Newseum uses high-tech wizardry and artifacts to put outsiders inside the often criticized subculture of journalism and to answer a reporter's basic "5 W's" - who, what, where, when and why - on how the news business works.
'Inside story of news'
"The Newseum will tell the inside story of news through the ages," said Allen H. Neuharth, the former Gannett newspaper executive who founded USA Today and, as chairman of the Freedom Forum, has been the driving force behind the Newseum.
"By taking visitors behind the scenes, we hope to forge a deeper understanding of the role of news and a free press in our lives," he explained in a statement.
The Newseum is funded and operated by the Freedom Forum, a private foundation "dedicated to free press, free speech and free spirit" and largely led by former news executives of the Gannett Co., which owns local newspapers and television stations around the country.
In an era where network newscasts are losing viewers and newspapers are searching for ways to attract readers, the Newseum will have to compete with the White House, Smithsonian Institution and other traditional attractions for a share of the 20 million tourists who visit the nation's capital each year. But Peter S. Prichard, executive director of the Newseum and former USA Today editor in chief, believes Americans are interested in the news media - especially the insider aspects - and will add the Newseum to their must-see checklist, once they know its here.
Located amid office towers and two blocks from the Rosslyn Metro station, the gleaming dome of the three-story Newseum is hard to miss.
