The Newseum, a $450 million dollar monument to news industry leadership, currently features an Elvis exhibit: “Elvis! His Groundbreaking, Hip-Shaking, Newsmaking Story.” In the business crisis facing the news industry today, something has to be done to raise revenue and support quality journalism. Maybe Elvises (a good investigative journalist could find a lot of them) would serve newspapers better than sensational crime stories.
The frenzy-inducing appeal of Elvis may not be enough to support the Newseum. The Newseum is less than a mile away from the National Museum of American History. The Newseum’s exhibits differ little from the National Museum’s exhibits. The Newseum, however, has much less content. Moreover, the Newseum charges for admission (“$19.95 plus tax” for adults), while admission to the National Museum of American History is free. The Newseum’s economics look relatively unattractive.
I hope that the Newseum doesn’t try to force the National Museum of American History to charge $20 for admission.