The Newseum—a 250,000-square-foot museum of news—offers visitors an experience that blends five centuries of news history with up-to-the-second technology and hands-on exhibits. The Newseum features seven levels of galleries, theaters, retail spaces, and visitor services. It offers a unique environment that takes museum-goers behind the scenes to experience how and why news is made.
The museum offers exhibits, tours, film and multimedia screenings, classes, lectures, and other educational and recreational events and programs. DC Metro area schools can schedule field trips with free admission for students; both box lunches and lunch vouchers are available with payment. Students may attend one 50-min., standards-aligned, educator-led class for free during their field trip (see the list of available classes, for grade levels 3-12); and educator-led tours are available for an additional charge.
To prepare for a field trip, teachers may attend an orientation session. Groups may also schedule professional development sessions for educators—subjects relevant to U.S. history include "The Battle for the Bill of Rights: The Free Press and the Founding of Our Nation," "The Photographic Revolution: The Ethics and Impact of Seeing the Story, From the Civil War to the Slums of New York to Today," "A Global Nation: The Free Flow of Information and Media Ethics," and "Making a Change: Civil Rights and the First Amendment."