Who isn’t glued to the news when tragic or historical events happen in the world? Who can forget where we were on the morning of Sept. 11? What about when the Berlin wall came down? 

Being a member of the news media, I’d always been impressed with the news exhibits in the Newseum when it was located in Arlington, Va. But updated interactive technology in the new Newseum, now located at the intersection of Pennsylvania Avenue and Sixth Street, NW, in Washington, D.C., sets the two museums worlds apart. Captivating exhibits stir up emotions as visitors of all ages and backgrounds relive great moments in history. 

The younger set, even those traditionally unimpressed by history, will be solidly on board with the exhibits as they are immersed in the world’s greatest news stories through the Newseum’s 130 interactive stations, 14 major galleries and 15 theaters. The Annenberg Theater’s presentation of “I-Witness,” a four-dimensional interactive feature that allows visitors to time travel to great historical events, combines museum-quality content with theme-park excitement. 

 Funded primarily by the Freedom Forum, the design of the building itself reflects its purpose: a giant, three-dimensional newspaper that communicates the nature of news to a diverse audience. The Newseum’s exterior’s unique architecture includes a 74-foot-high marble engraving of the First Amendment and an immense front wall of glass that allows passers-by to see inside the Newseum’s “Electronic Window on the World.” Passers-by can view 80 newspaper front pages from around the world, enlarged and updated daily. 

The moment visitors step inside the Newseum, they stand in the center of a 90-foot-high atrium, where they are surrounded by the Great Hall of News. There is a 40-foot by 22-foot high definition LED screen that features breaking news from around the world. Visible from both inside and outside the building, the “Electronic Window on the World” also features a 238-foot-long news zipper displaying the latest headlines.

The Newseum features seven levels of galleries, theaters, retail spaces and visitor services. It offers a unique environment that takes museum-goers behind the scenes to experience how and why news is made. The galleries explore news history, electronic news, photojournalism, world news and media coverage of major historical events.

To begin your visit, start on Level 1 and take the escalators down to the Concourse Level to view an 8-minute orientation film. After viewing the film, you will walk past the Berlin Wall Gallery, which contains a three-story guard tower and eight 12-foot-high sections of the original wall, and take the glass express elevator up to Level 6, and then take plenty of time to enjoy the many exhibits as you work your way back down to Level 1.

And, oh what a ride it will be! Before coming back down, be sure to go out to the terrace on Pennsylvania Avenue, which treats visitors to a panoramic view of the U.S. Capitol and the National Mall. An 80-foot-long exhibit on the terrace traces the colorful history of Pennsylvania Avenue and the important news events that have taken place there.  In the exhibit of Today’s Front Pages, visitors can see 80 newspaper front pages from around the world, enlarged and updated daily, and have electronic access to more than 500 front pages. 

Every step of the way, friendly staff in green shirts greet visitors and are ready to answer questions or lend a hand. You will spend hours perusing the various exhibits and interactive displays. 

Here are some highlights:

The Early News Gallery is where visitors begin their journey though the history of news, which tells the compelling story of the urgency and universality of news. The News Corporation News History Gallery presents more than 30,000 historic newspapers and traces more than 500 years of news. Interactive displays allow visitors to get more detail on people and events.

The ABC News Changing Exhibits Gallery explores a wide range of media issues with displays on breaking news media trends, news-event anniversaries and top photography. “G-Men and Journalists: Top New Stories of the FBI’s First Century” recently opened. The exhibit showcases some of the biggest crime stories of the FBI’s first 100 years.

The Pulliam Family Great Books Gallery features books and documents that help illustrate and illuminate the origins of freedom of the press. The oldest of the 19 works dates back more than 500 years to a 1475 printing of Thomas Aquinas’ “Summa Theologica,” a masterpiece that fused philosophy and technology. Also noteworthy is a 1542 printing of the Magna Carta. The documents are preserved in low light, but sections of each are readable on interactive monitors through state-of-the-art page-turning software.  

The Bloomberg Internet, TV and Radio Gallery is devoted to the history of electronic news. This gallery features a timeline tracing milestones in the growth of radio, television and Internet news. There is an exhibit on newsman Edward R. Murrow and a digital news center that looks at how technology has transformed journalism. 

The Time Warner World News Gallery enables visitors to watch television news and compare press freedoms in more than 190 countries. 

The Comcast 9/11 Gallery is perhaps the first permanent museum exhibit devoted to the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001. This gallery looks at how the media responded to one of the biggest news stories of the century. The central artifact is the upper section of the 360-foot antenna mast from the World Trade Center North Tower. A sidebar theater presents “Running Toward Danger,” a powerful, 11-minute film with dramatic footage and on-camera, first-person accounts from journalists who covered the attacks.

The NBC News Interactive Newsroom is where visitors can select any of 48 interactive kiosks or experiences where they can immerse themselves in the many roles — photojournalist, editor, reporter, anchor — required to bring the news to the public. The gallery features eight “Be a TV Reporter” stations that allow visitors to go on camera and tape their own newscast, then download their video from newseum.org. There is an $8 additional charge for this and tickets are available via kiosk in the Interactive Newsroom. 

The Pulitzer Prize Photographs Gallery contains the largest and most comprehensive collection of Pulitzer Prize-winning photojournalism ever assembled. Visitors can view a Newseum documentary in which photographers explain their craft and can access an electronic database that features 1,000 images and 15 hours of video and audio compiled from interviews with 68 Pulitzer Prize-winning photographers.

The Journalists Memorial is a sweeping two-story glass structure that includes 1,843 names of journalists who died while reporting the news from 1837 through 2007. 

The Food Section on the Newseum’s Concourse level features a menu developed by Wolfgang Puck Catering. There are hot entrees, grilled favorites, pizza, hot and cold sandwiches, salads and desserts. Expect to pay between $5 and $10 for entrees.

BARRIER-FREE ACCESSIBILITY

The Newseum is accessible for slow walkers and those with disabilities. Restrooms are located on every floor. There are elevators and ramps located at the end of each level. Two power scooters and 10 wheelchairs are available at the coat check stand for guests on a first-come, first-served basis. Guests are asked to leave an ID to borrow the scooter or wheelchair.