News is the news at high-tech museum

WASHINGTON — Newspaper revenue is plummeting and television networks are desperately wooing a dwindling audience. For industry veterans, the outlook has never been so bleak.

What better time to throw a huge party?

A seven-story, $450-million museum paying tribute to the news and those who report and ready it for viewers, listeners and readers opened Friday to great fanfare in a prime location on Pennsylvania Avenue -- midway between the White House and Capitol, not far from the National Mall.

The Newseum is a flashy addition to a collection of museums that distinguish the nation's capital and draw tourists. The palace is highly interactive and celebrates the glory days of a business that is plagued by shrinking audiences and rising costs.

In a city where free entry to museums is still the norm, adults must pay $20 for admission to the new attraction. But its officials are gambling that tourists will be willing to spend money for what they term a "learning and fun" experience.

Charles L. Overby, the Newseum's chief executive, said the International Spy Museum, another Washington tourist destination that charges a similar ticket price, had 750,000 visitors last year.

"We could have built an average museum with glass cases where people come in and look at items, or we could build a high-tech museum that gives people something to do," he said, guessing that between 500,000 and 750,000 visitors will come in the first year. "People are willing to pay money if you have a good experience."

With some speculating that the print version of the newspaper is going the way of the Pony Express, perhaps a museum is where it should be featured.

One exhibit explores the future of the digital age, highlighting the role of bloggers and citizen journalists.

But the vast majority of content in the 14 major exhibition galleries and 15 theaters is focused on how the mainstream media covered the 20th century's biggest stories.

One gallery displays an array of heart-wrenching photographs that won Pulitzer Prizes. A James Madison impersonator talks with schoolchildren at an exhibit on the 1st Amendment. A mangled transmission tower that was once atop the World Trade Center is part of an exhibit on how reporters covered the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks. There's an ethics center where budding journalists can ponder real-life dilemmas faced by professionals.