The Newseum, headquartered in Washington, D.C., promotes, explains and defends free expression and the five freedoms of the First Amendment: religion, speech, press, assembly and petition.
Since opening in 2008, more than six million have visited its modern building located on historic Pennsylvania Avenue between the United States Capitol and the White House. The Newseum’s seven levels of interactive exhibits include 15 galleries and 15 theaters. Among the most memorable exhibits are the 9/11 Gallery sponsored by Comcast featuring the broadcast antennae from the top of the World Trade Center, the Berlin Wall Gallery whose eight concrete sections are one of the largest pieces of the original wall outside Germany, and the Pulitzer Prize Photographs Gallery which features photographs from every Pulitzer Prize-winning entry dating back to 1942. In 2016, TripAdvisor users rated the Newseum as a “Traveler’s Choice Top 25 Museum in the U.S.”
Considered one of the most interactive museums in the world, the Newseum experience also traces the evolution of electronic communication from the birth of radio, to the technologies of the present and the future.
The Newseum reaches millions of students through its robust offering of on-site classes and workshops that meet national standards of learning. NewseumED, a free online learning platform for teachers and students, demonstrates the Newseum’s commitment to reach all who wish to better understand the five freedoms of the First Amendment and its relationship to learning and teaching history, media literacy and civics.
The Newseum Institute explores the challenges confronting freedom around the world with a variety of initiatives, including its First Amendment Center, which serves as a forum for the study and debate of free expression issues, and the Religious Freedom Center, which focuses on educating the American public about religious liberty and the First Amendment.
The Newseum and the Newseum Institute regularly host compelling programs that seek to generate solutions to some of the most pressing national and international challenges of the day. By embracing its role as a neutral forum committed to fostering open, nuanced discussions, the Newseum and the Newseum Institute engage in the central debates of our time, including the future of investigative journalism, the tensions between national security and privacy, and the role of religious freedom.
Featuring dramatic vistas of Washington, D.C., the Newseum has become one of the city’s most sought-after venues for conferences, weddings, movie premieres and special events. Two state-of-the-art television studios host programs of all kinds, which are broadcast around the world each week.
Exercising, defending and promoting freedom is crucial to protecting our way of life. The Newseum’s board, staff, volunteers, donors and corporate partners are working together to make sure the freedoms of the First Amendment remain strong and protected, both today and for future generations.
