Newseum shutting down: A loss in the world of print media

Ahana Appiah

A student of Print Mediaahana.
appiah@flame.edu.in FLAME University, Pune, Maharashtra, India
https://www.flame.edu.in/

The Newseum on Pennsylvania Avenue in Washington DC (https://www.newseum.org/) is set to close by the end of 2019 on December 31^st after almost 11 years and over 10 million visitors. Having been struggling financially for years due to unsustainable maintenance costs, creator and primary funder, The Freedom Forum announced its closure. The building has been sold to Johns Hopkins University for $372.5 million to be used for their graduate programs.

Print media practitioners, journalism teachers, and students across the world visit the website to have a glimpse at the front pages of over 800 newspapers in the world. The newspapers, including those from India, offer the front pages to this site every day.

What TripAdvisor reviews describe as “a must-see” and “well worth the time”, the Newseum, with its mission to champion the five freedoms of the First Amendment is a comprehensive display of the importance of a free and fair press and its vast reach. A historical landmark for print media, it highlights where journalism has been, where it is and where I will be in the future.

After it closes, the museum plans to store all artefacts in a state-of-the-art support centre. The collection will continue to be loaned for educational programs, public events, digital initiatives, etc., and the important work will be continued through digital outreach and web-based programs across the world. While the Freedom Forum is searching for a new home in the area, it’s closing coincides with an overall decrease in funding in the news industry. Now, a common worry is that if a replacement does come in, it may not be as neutral as the Newseum.

As the deadline approaches, its place in the world of print media must not be forgotten. The museum served as inspiration for young students to take up and continue their path in journalism, creating awareness about the power of the media. People don’t realise newspapers can be used for so much good and that they literally act as the first rough draft of history - the Newseum simply served as both, evidence and a reminder of the fact. With its closing, print media says goodbye to one of the premier institutions that highlighted it’s need and role as an agent of truth and change.

(Ahana Appiah is a student of print media in my class. She, along with others, attended the class yesterday where I introduced them to the website. I do this every year to let them have a glimpse of interesting front page designs of newspapers in different languages in different countries. Kiran Thakur.)

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