WASHINGTON (NEXSTAR) – As 2019 comes to an end, so does the tenure of a Washington- based museum dedicated to journalism and the role the profession has played in major events throughout history.
The Newseum closed its doors on Tuesday after suffering ongoing financial issues. The museum has welcomed visitors every day for more than 10 years with a display of newspaper front pages from all 50 U.S. states, as well as countries from around the world.
“I love walking through the whole line and seeing the whole thing,” Cindy Slattery of Maryland said. “You find out what matters to people all over.”
Slattery brought her friends to see the Newseum for the first time on its last day on Pennsylvania Avenue to celebrate the country’s First Amendment and free press.
“This is just a really important thing to see before it closes,” she said. “It’s just a gem.”
“It’s like being able to reach out and touch history when you go to this museum,” Todd Morgan added.
The museum gave visitors a chilling look at Pulitzer Prize-winning photographs and the opportunity to touch a piece of the Berlin Wall. It also served as a reminder of the journalists killed for doing their jobs.
The Newseum had a $25 admission fee and had to compete with free museums.
For some visitors, its closure due to ongoing financial issues brought up a bigger discussion about the future of journalism. Thomas McKay, who owns two newspapers, knows firsthand.
“I wonder where communities are really going to get their news in the future,” he said.
He still said he’s confident journalism will live on, just like many of the exhibits in the Newseum. While their future permanent home remains uncertain, the public seems eager to revisit their stories.
Some of the museum’s work will appear in online, public or traveling exhibits while the search continues to find a new location.
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