Contact Center Solutions Industry News

TMCNet: Washington's monument to press freedom opens for business

[April 11, 2008]

Washington's monument to press freedom opens for business

(Associated Press WorldStream Via Thomson Dialog NewsEdge) WASHINGTON_A huge newspaper front page was unfurled Friday over the front of Washington's newest museum with a headline that screamed "NEWSEUM OPENS."

Cannons fired confetti and a screeching bald eagle flew over a cheering crowd for the museum celebrating journalism and the First Amendment.

"We believe this Newseum will stand as a beacon for freedom for at least 100 years," said Newseum chief executive Charles Overby. He later turned to Newseum and USA Today founder Al Neuharth to count down to the opening.

The $450 million(?284 million) museum was built on the last available site on Pennsylvania Avenue between Congress and the White House. It includes 15 theaters, 14 major galleries, two television studios and displays of newspaper front pages from every state and several countries that are updated each day.

The opening drew thousands of visitors, and admission was free for the first day. A line of people waiting to get inside stretched more than a block past the neighboring Canadian Embassy and toward the Capitol. After Friday, the museum will charge a $20 (?13)fee for adults and $13(?8)for children.

Some of the first visitors exercised their free speech rights under the Newseum's 74-foot marble inscription of the First Amendment.

"We need to get out of Iraq," said Carol Giagnoni of Rockford, Illinois, as she held a sign protesting the war. Giagnoni was visiting Washington with friends, and met some war protesters who handed them signs that read "Iraq Escalation? Wrong Way" and other messages.

Jay Marx, a protest coordinator with the Washington Peace Center, said he brought at least 30 protesters to the Newseum opening.

"We believe the media is complicit in starting this war and perpetuating it," he said.

The first visitors lined up at 6 a.m. for the museum's 9 a.m. opening.

Newseum trustee Louis D. Boccardi, retired chief executive of The Associated Press, said the museum is like a newspaper.

"You pick and choose what interests you," Boccardi said. "It's authentic and meant to convey both the good and those situations where we, the press, haven't performed the way we should have."

In a dedication ceremony with media executives, donors and members of Congress, fake TV pundit Stephen Colbert joked in a prerecorded message that the museum should instead be named the "Newsoleum." Things only end up in museums, he said, "when there's no use for them anymore."

New York Times Co. chairman Arthur Sulzberger Jr. countered Colbert, however, telling the audience that "we at the Times will always be here for Mr. Colbert."

And Rupert Murdoch, chairman of News Corp., proclaimed it a "great day to be a newspaper man." His media empire includes Fox News, The Wall Street Journal and the popular online hangout MySpace.com.

"Today's readers have many choices for news, but what's often missing is readers' relationships with their newspapers," Murdoch said. For those companies who embrace the challenge of forging new relationships with the audience, he said, "We are on the cusp of a new golden age for newspapers."

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, a Democrat, called on Newseum supporters to urge Congress to pass a media shield law that would allow reporters to protect the identities of confidential sources who provide sensitive information about the government. She said it would strengthen the principle of a free press and defend the Constitution.

Pat Redmann of McLean, Virginia, brought her daughter and grandson to the opening. They were drawn to an exhibit featuring the broadcast tower that stood atop the World Trade Center until the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks.

"It's still shocking," Redmann said, looking up at the tower. Her daughter, Katherine Leber of Fairfax, Virginia, said she had wanted to see the 9/11 gallery.

"To see all the pictures," she said. "I think the newspaper headlines are pretty telling."

___

On the Net:

Newseum: http://www.newseum.org/

Copyright ? 2008 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

[ Back To Contact Center Solutions Homepage's Homepage ]


Related Contact Center Solutions Articles
[ View all Contact Center Solutions Articles ]

Socialize with us

FREE Contact Center Solutions eNewsletter

Click here to receive your targeted Contact Center Solutions Community eNewsletter.[Subscribe Now]

Industry News

Featured Resources

Contact Center Solutions Glossary of Terms

Press Releases

About the Contact Center Solutions Community

    Welcome to the Contact Center Solutions Community The Contact Center Solutions Global Online Community, Sponsored by Interactive Intelligence, is designed to serve as the industry's premier resource for information and research on Contact Center Solutions technology and deployment strategies.