In a video taped before his death, Newseum founder Al Neuharth addresses guests at his memorial service held May 15, 2013, at the Newseum. (Maria Bryk/Newseum)

Al Neuharth Says Final Goodbye

WASHINGTON — Al Neuharth had the first and last words at a lighthearted and emotional memorial celebration held May 15 in "the house that Al built," as former Newseum CEO Charles Overby called the Newseum in his remarks.

In a video that was taped before his death, Neuharth controlled his own memorial service just as he had in his colorful career as one of the most powerful CEOs in the country.

Neuharth paid special tribute to Gannett, USA Today, Freedom Forum and Newseum executives who were key players in his successful projects. He encouraged guests to stand and sing along with many of his favorite songs, beginning with "God Bless America," and including "This Land Is Your Land." The Frank Sinatra classic "My Way" was reworded to reflect Neuharth doing things his way.

"Hi. In case you've already forgotten, I used to be Al Neuharth," the founder of the Newseum and USA Today said to the delight of the crowd of 500 family, friends and colleagues. Neuharth died April 19 at age 89.

In his welcoming address, Jim Duff, CEO of the Newseum and the Diversity Institute, set the mood by inviting guests to "whoop, holler and exercise your First Amendment freedoms. Al did not like stuffy parties," he said.

Thus began a unique send-off that ranked with the memorial services of Ford Motor Company founder Henry Ford II and Pulitzer Prize-winning humor columnist Art Buchwald, two celebrations that Neuharth admired and cited as "full of felicity."

Politicians, journalists, educators and students remembered Neuharth for his dedication to free speech, education, diversity, and patriotism.

"He was one of the few CEOs who sent the elevator back down. He knew about leaning forward long ago," said Madelyn Jennings, former senior vice president of personnel at Gannett and a Newseum trustee emeritus.

"It is no coincidence that half of the speakers this evening are women," said journalist Judy Woodruff, who is also a Freedom Forum and Newseum trustee. "There wasn't a CEO or media magnate in America who cared more for women than Al."

John Seigenthaler, founding editorial page editor at USA Today and founder of the Newseum's First Amendment Center in Nashville, drew laughs when he equated the three memorials held for Neuharth this week with the ambitious programs that took him all over the world. A program is scheduled at the University of South Dakota on May 17. The first of the services was held May 14 in Melbourne, Fla.

"Al had his BusCapade and JetCapade and NewsCapade, so why should we be surprised tonight to be part of FuneralCapade," Seigenthaler said. "[Neuharth] made those institutions in the image of the country he loved," he added.

Former Sen. Tom Daschle remembered his fellow South Dakotan as a patriot who was proud of his small-town roots. Neuharth was born in Eureka, S.D., and was raised in his mother's hometown of Alpena, S.D.

"Al had more invincible determination than anyone I ever met in my life," Daschle said. "Most of us will miss him only on days ending in Y."

Six former Al Neuharth Free Spirit Scholars thanked Neuharth for the annual program he founded that is dedicated to high school students seeking careers in journalism.

At the end of the 90-minute service, it was Neuharth who had the final say. With his voice cracking, and in the plain talk for which he was famous, he dispensed final wisdom and also paid tribute to his family "who sometimes took a back seat" to his corporate life.

"Life is not an undefeated season. We must always play to win, but we will win some, and we will lose some. Failure is not fatal. We simply must dream, and dare, and do."

• Remembering Al Neuharth
• Neuharth Tributes Pour in From Across the USA

Hank Greenspun Terrace on Pennsylvania Avenue (Sam Kittner/Newseum)

Win a Luxurious Weekend in Washington, D.C.

WASHINGTON — In celebration of the popular JFK exhibits, the Newseum is treating one lucky grand-prize winner and a guest to a VIP weekend in the nation's capital.

The fabulous prize package includes:

• Two nights at The Monaco Washington, D.C.
• Tickets to the Newseum and other top local attractions
• A walking tour and a bus tour
• Dinner, on us!

To enter, please visit newseum.org/win. Good luck!

The Newseum JFK Sweepstakes is presented in partnership with:

• The Monaco, Washington, D.C., a Kimpton Hotel
• Madame Tussauds Washington D.C.
• National Building Museum
• International Spy Museum
• Washington Walks
• Carmine's, Washington, D.C.
• Big Bus Tours

AP, Justice and a Free Press (Newseum)

Seizure of AP Phone Records an Affront to a Free Press

What The Associated Press calls "a massive and unprecedented intrusion by the Department of Justice" into its news-gathering activities is more than an affront to a free press — it's a direct challenge.

If the seizure of telephone records from offices and personal lines is as broad and unfocused as AP CEO Gary Pruitt describes, the DOJ's move to seize records of calls made from offices and personal phones of AP journalists marks a new and threatening move by an administration already facing reports that the IRS has targeted groups simply for educating others about the Constitution and Bill of Rights, and a record of the most prosecutions ever of government employees over leaks to the press, under the nearly-100 year old Espionage Act.

The nation's founders provided strong protection for a free press in the form of the First Amendment to guarantee a free flow of news and information from a source not licensed or controlled by the government.

According to Pruitt, records were seized of more than 20 phone lines used mostly in New York and Washington, D.C., and some home phone records for AP staff, for a two-month period early last year. Potentially, as many as 100 AP journalists may have used those lines in newsgathering activities.

"These records potentially reveal communications with confidential sources across all of the newsgathering activities undertaken by the AP during a two-month period, provide a road map to AP's newsgathering operations, and disclose information about AP's activities and operations that the government has no conceivable right to know," Pruitt said in a letter to Attorney General Eric Holder.

Even if focused later on a very specific reason, such as a dire and immediate threat to national security, the breadth of the seizure will have a chilling effect on the ability of reporters to gather information from regular and confidential sources on any variety of stories, not just one report.

One possible reason for the seizure: A May 7, 2012, AP story about a foiled terror plot, including details of a CIA operation in Yemen, which used information from a confidential source. The Justice Department has announced an investigation to locate that source.

An inescapable, even if unintended effect of such a seizure — and one reason such actions are so rare — is that it, in effect, turns the news media's very news-gathering process into another investigative tool of the government. Reporters become effectively recorders of contacts and information for the prosecution, not at all what journalism is supposed to be.

The DOJ has crafted over the years a careful policy with regard to the press and such seizures of records. In effect, it's a final option when others have failed, to be approved only at the highest levels, including the Attorney General. Very often in past years, there has been a negotiation in advance to narrow the scope of such an inquiry and an opportunity for the news operation to raise a legal challenge.

What's disturbing, at least as indicated by Pruitt, is that there has been no disclosure to AP or the public of any of those justifications, no advance warning or negotiation, no opportunity to raise an objection before a judge. The DOJ's response thus far has been only a restatement of the policy, which seems tepid and well short of good disclosure to the American public regarding what may well be pursuit of past transgressions.

In effect, Justice officials have told the nation's journalists to rely on DOJ's judgment. James Madison would likely have just chuckled at that notion.

The nation's founders insulated a free press against government control and harassment even in their period of an ardently combative and partisan press. They had experience with press licensing and government attempts to rule over it — and decided against that circumstance.

For an administration that has cloaked itself in a self-proclaimed mission to become the most transparent, open government to-date, such a wide, secret dragnet aimed at a huge number of journalists seems contradictory — even predatory.

Yes, gains in public access to records have been recorded. But some scientific groups and others note access to experts to interpret such information is guarded or unavailable without special "minders" to oversee interviews.

Though the White House pledged to protect whistleblowers who work within government channels, Holder has prosecuted six government employees for alleged leaks under the World War I-era Espionage Act than all previous attorneys general.

The American Civil Liberties Union reported in 2012 a "huge increase" in the use of warrantless wiretap surveillance by the Obama administration — the mirror action of seizure of AP phone records.

The government has a right, when it comes to leaks and national security, to police its own house.

But we all — not just journalists — should be concerned when that effort spills over so broadly into the inner workings of a free press.

• First Amendment Center

Al Neuharth. (Dave Eggen/Courtesy The Associated Press)

Dates Set for Al Neuharth Memorial Celebrations

Final schedules for the celebrations of the life of Newseum and Freedom Forum founder Al Neuharth were announced May 6.

Programs will take place in Florida, Washington, D.C., and South Dakota, and are open to the public.

Date: Tuesday, May 14, 2013
Time: 5:30 p.m. EDT
Location: FLORIDA TODAY
1 Gannett Plaza
Melbourne, Florida

A reception will follow. The celebration will be streamed live online beginning at 5:30 p.m. EDT at www.floridatoday.com.

Date: Wednesday, May 15, 2013
Time: 5:30 p.m. EDT
Location: Newseum
555 Pennsylvania Ave., N.W.
Washington, D.C.

The public is invited to view the celebration of life event on the Newseum's atrium screen. Enter through the main doors on Pennsylvania Avenue. The celebration will be streamed live online beginning at 5:30 p.m. EDT at newseum.org.

Date: Friday, May 17, 2013
Time: 10 a.m. CDT
Location: University of South Dakota
Aalfs Auditorium, Slagle Hall
414 E. Clark Street
Vermillion, South Dakota

A luncheon reception will follow at the Al Neuharth Media Center at USD, 555 Dakota Street, Vermillion, S.D. The celebration will be streamed live online beginning at 10 a.m. CDT via South Dakota Public Broadcasting at www.sdpb.org/live and will be rebroadcast on the SDPB statewide television network on Sunday, May 19, 2013, at 3 p.m. CDT.

In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to the following organizations:

The Newseum, a 501(c)(3) public charity based in Washington, D.C., that champions the five freedoms of the First Amendment. newseum.org

The Eureka Pioneer Museum, a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt organization based in Eureka, S.D., featuring a wide range of historic materials from pioneer settlers. Some of Neuharth's career and personal memorabilia will be housed in the museum. P.O. Box 116, Eureka, SD 57437

The Al Neuharth Scholarship for Excellence in Journalism, a tax-deductible fund of the USD Foundation at the University of South Dakota that is available to high school seniors who are talented in journalism. www.usd.edu/cmj

Brevard Reaching Out, Inc., a tax-deductible holiday fund sponsored by FLORIDA TODAY that purchases books and toys for the area's needy children. www.floridatoday.com/content/reachingout/fund.shtml

World Press Freedom Declined in 2012

WASHINGTON — The percentage of the world's population that has access to a free press declined during 2012, according to an annual survey released by Freedom House, which has documented media independence since 1980.

The results were announced May 1 at a ceremony at the Newseum.

One hundred and ninety-seven countries were monitored. Of that total, 32 percent were "free;" 36 percent were "partly free;" and 32 percent were "not free."

In 2012, the press status in eight countries changed. Karin Karlekar, project director at Freedom House, said this marked the first time in history that all country changes were in a negative direction.

The Newseum's color-coordinated international map, located in the Time Warner World News Gallery, reflects the different levels of press freedom internationally as determined by Freedom House. Countries painted in green have a free press. Those in yellow have partial press freedom. The countries in red allow no press freedom.

• Three countries — Greece, Mali and Israel — changed from "free" to "partly free"
• Five countries — Egypt, Paraguay, Ecuador, Guinea-Bissau and Thailand — changed from "partly free" to "not free"

Norway and Sweden remain the most free in the world. Both have constitutions that guarantee press freedom. Newspaper readership is high, and Internet access is widely available and unrestricted.

The worst of the worst countries for press freedom were Belarus, Cuba, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Iran, North Korea, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan.

North Korea saw a slight improvement in press freedom than in previous years, according to the report, as a result of increased attempts to evade censorship by smuggled DVDs to spread news and information.

Bette Bao Lord and Winston Lord have made a generous pledge in support of this annual program. Bao Lord is chairman emeritus of Freedom House and a Newseum trustee.

Freedom House is an independent watchdog organization based in Washington, D.C., that supports democratic change, monitors the status of freedom around the world and advocates for democracy and human rights.

For more information on Freedom House and the survey, visit www.freedomhouse.org.

Al Neuharth at home in Cocoa Beach, Fla., at his oceanfront office in 1987. (Newseum collection)

Neuharth Tributes Pour in From Across the USA

WASHINGTON — Memorial celebrations are pending for Al Neuharth, founder of USA Today, the Freedom Forum and the Newseum, in Melbourne, Fla., Washington, D.C., at the University of South Dakota in Vermillion, and in his hometown, Eureka, S.D., where he will be buried in a Neuharth family plot.

Since his death April 19 at the age of 89, tributes have been written by people across the country whose lives have been touched in ways big and small by Neuharth and his legacy: Neighbors. Current and former colleagues. Alumni from the Al Neuharth Free Spirit and Journalism Conference program.

Their comments have been eloquent, plain and simple — the "plain talk" that Neuharth preferred. We'd like to share some of their comments from our online and social media sites and from blogs and news organizations around the world.

• Remembering Al Neuharth
• USA Today (April 19, 2013)
• Clarion Ledger (April 19, 2013)
• Argus Leader (April 20, 2013)
• Bloomberg (April 20, 2013)
• RealClearPolitics (April 21, 2013)
• Daily Journal (April 21, 2013)
• Huffington Post (April 21, 2013)
• Florida Today (April 22, 2013)
• Rapid City Journal (April 22, 2013)
• GoErie.com (April 22, 2013)
• Talkers (April 22, 2013)
• The Georgetowner (April 22, 2013)
• London: The News (April 22, 2013)
• National Association of Black Journalists (April 22, 2013)
• Lawrence Journal-World (April 25, 2013)
• News & Observer (April 25, 2013)
• Diverse Issues in Higher Education (April 22, 2013)
• Indianz.com (April 22, 2013)

Mary Beth Tinker in the Cox Enterprises First Amendment Gallery at the Newseum. (Maria Bryk/Newseum)

Free Speech Activist Launches Nationwide Educational Tour

Free speech activist Mary Beth Tinker has launched a crowdsourced campaign to raise money for a cross-country "Tinker Tour" during the 2013-2014 school year.

Tinker is using the tour to educate a new generation of students about their First Amendment freedoms.

In 1965 Tinker, then a 13-year-old student in Des Moines, Iowa, her brother and a friend, were suspended from school for wearing black armbands to mourn the dead in the Vietnam War. In a landmark case in 1969, the U.S. Supreme Court found the suspensions to be violations of the First Amendment.

The court declared that freedom of expression should be protected in public schools and that both students and teachers do not "shed their constitutional rights to freedom of speech or expression at the schoolhouse gate."

The armband worn by Tinker is on display in the Cox Enterprises First Amendment Gallery.

• Tinker Tour
• Cox Enterprises First Amendment Gallery

From left: Yesenia Robles and Lisa Song

Two Journalists Add Pulitzers to Chips Quinn Program

WASHINGTON — Lisa Song, a spring 2010 Chips Quinn Scholar, was one of three reporters for the online InsideClimate News who was awarded a Pulitzer Prize April 15, 2013, for national reporting.

The three journalists from InsideClimate News were cited "for their rigorous reports on flawed regulation of the nation 's oil pipelines, focusing on potential ecological dangers posed by diluted bitumen (or 'dilbit '), a controversial form of oil."

"I'm in shock, and I owe a lot to the Chips Quinn program, " Song said. "Those multimedia skills from the orientation helped me get my current job, so thank you."

Song participated in the Chips Quinn Scholars program through its partnership with High Country News in Paonia, Colo., a nonprofit independent media organization that covers important issues unique to the American West.

Song earned a master 's degree in science writing in 2009 and a bachelor 's degree in environmental science in 2008 from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. A talented researcher and writer, she was one of 11 journalists selected to attend a marine science seminar in July 2011 hosted by the Metcalf Institute for Marine and Environmental Reporting at the University of Rhode Island Graduate School of Oceanography.

The Pulitzer Prize for breaking news was awarded to the newsroom of The Denver Post, where Yesenia Robles, a spring 2011 Chips Quinn Scholar, is a staff writer.

The Pulitzer board cited The Denver Post for its "comprehensive coverage of the mass shooting at a movie theater in Aurora, Colo., that killed 12 and injured 58, using journalistic tools, from Twitter and Facebook to video and written reports, both to capture a breaking story and provide context."

"It 's still exciting to get to work for a newspaper that has celebrated a Pulitzer Prize four years in a row now, " Robles said.

Robles arrived at The Denver Post as an intern in January 2010 and was hired full time eight months later. She earned her bachelor 's degree in journalism from the University of Colorado in 2009.

Song and Robles join 11 other Chips Quinn Scholars who have been part of Pulitzer Prize-winning newsroom teams.

John C. Quinn, co-founder of the Chips Quinn Scholars Program, applauded Song and Roble 's Pulitzer honors.

"Lisa and Yesenia, you make all of us associated with the Chips Quinn Scholars program proud of your great accomplishment in your budding careers. You enrich the program 's commitment to professional journalism and to personal diversity. Well done. "

The Newseum's Chips Quinn Scholars Program for Diversity in Journalism offers students hands-on training and mentoring by caring news veterans. More than 1,300 men and women have been named Chips Quinn Scholars since 1991. A complete list of scholars who have helped their newsrooms win a Pulitzer is included in a PDF.

The next class of the Chips Quinn Scholars program convenes May 13-19, 2013, at the John Seigenthaler Center on the campus of Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tenn.

• Chips Quinn Scholars
• Chips Quinn Pulitzers (PDF)

Remembering Al Neuharth

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Al Neuharth. (Dave Eggen/Courtesy The Associated Press)

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Al Neuharth and USA Today publisher Cathie Black at the newspaper's printing site in 1983. (Newseum collection)

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Al Neuharth with one of USA Today's unique newspaper vending machines. (Newseum collection)

4/

Al Neuharth in London with British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher during the JetCapade tour of 32 countries in 1988. (Newseum collection)

5/

Al Neuharth visits President Ronald Reagan in the Oval Office in 1987. (Newseum collection)

6/

Al Neuharth at home in Cocoa Beach, Fla., at his oceanfront office in 1987. (Newseum collection)

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Al Neuharth in the mid-1990s with students of the Community Newspaper Team. (Newseum collection)

8/

Al Neuharth and John Seigenthaler, former editor of the Tennessean, announce in 1991 the creation of the First Amendment Center at Vanderbilt University in Nashville. (Newseum collection)

9/

Al Neuharth at the Crazy Horse Memorial in 1999. (Newseum collection)

10/

Al Neuharth (far right) with Freedom Forum and Newseum trustees at the groundbreaking in 2000 of the Newseum on Pennsylvania Avenue. (Newseum collection)

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Al Neuharth and former South Dakota Sen. George McGovern at the 2003 dedication of the Al Neuharth Media Center at the University of South Dakota. (Newseum collection)

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Al Neuharth with 2004 Free Spirit awardee Dorothy Height, former president of the National Council for Negro Women. (Newseum collection)

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Al Neuharth with 2005 Free Spirit awardee Brian Lamb, founder of C-Span. (Newseum collection)

Allen H. Neuharth, founder of USA Today, the Freedom Forum and the Newseum, died Friday, April 19, 2013, in Cocoa Beach, Fla. He was 89.

For more than half a century, Neuharth was a driving force in newspaper innovation, journalism education and newsroom diversity.

"Al will be remembered for many trailblazing achievements in the newspaper business, but one of his most enduring legacies will be his devotion to educating and training new journalists," said Jim Duff, president and chief executive officer of the Freedom Forum, and CEO of the Newseum and the Diversity Institute. "He taught them the importance of not only a free press but a fair one."

Neuharth was born March 22, 1924, in Eureka, S.D. He got his first job at age 11, delivering newspapers in Alpena, S.D. At Alpena High School, he was editor of the Echo, which he said made him "feel like the most powerful kid in school."

He served in World War II as a combat infantryman in both Europe and the Pacific and was awarded a Bronze Star. After the war, he attended the University of South Dakota under the GI bill and majored in journalism. He was editor of the student newspaper, The Volante, and graduated cum laude in 1950. His first job after graduation was as a reporter for The Associated Press in Sioux Falls. A high-definition media center at USD is named for him.

Despite those accomplishments, failure was the catalyst for Neuharth's success.

In 1952, he and a friend raised $50,000 to launch SoDak Sports, a statewide weekly newspaper printed on peach-colored paper. The publication failed to attract advertisers and went bankrupt in two years. Neuharth often said SoDak Sports failed "because I had mismanaged it."

Broke and in debt, Neuharth "ran away" to Florida at age 30, where he was hired as a reporter for The Miami Herald.

"Failure shouldn't stop your drive to succeed," Neuharth said. "How you respond to failure makes all the difference."

During the next few years, Neuharth rose from reporter to management positions in the Knight newspaper group in Miami and Detroit. He joined Gannett Co. Inc. in 1963. From 1976 to 1989, he was Gannett's chairman, CEO and president. Under his leadership, an unprecedented number of women and minorities were promoted to top newsroom and corporate positions. He said his widowed mother's struggle to earn a living during the Depression was the impetus.

In his 2000 book "Free Spirit," Neuharth explained that his mother earned $10 a week washing dishes and taking in laundry, while men earned $5 a day under President Franklin D. Roosevelt's Works Progress Administration.

"Those childhood memories made me determined as an adult to work for equal treatment, equal pay and equal opportunity for people of every age, race, sex and religion," he said.

Perhaps one of the biggest achievements in Neuharth's professional career was the founding of USA Today, the nation's No. 1 newspaper in print circulation.

In 1979, Neuharth began thinking about a national newspaper "so different, so advanced in design and appearance and content that it would pull the rest of the industry into the 21st century."

The idea grew in part from his role in the 1966 launch of "Florida's Space Age Newspaper" Today — now Florida Today — that became the first successful new newspaper of any size since World War II. Armed with that experience and surveys that said readers were ready for bold, new ideas, Neuharth launched USA Today in 1982.

Traditionalists scoffed at the tightly written newspaper, calling it fast-food journalism — "McPaper." Within a decade, USA Today's graphics, short stories and full-color sections all were widely imitated.

Neuharth retired from Gannett in 1989 and wrote a weekly column called "Plain Talk," which appeared in USA Today and other newspapers. He loved to ignite debate on subjects ranging from politics to sports to family matters. He insisted that a "Feedback" segment accompany each column, to give those he mentioned in the column a chance to agree or disagree with him. He never missed writing a column in 24 years.

In 1991, two years after his retirement from Gannett, Neuharth founded the Freedom Forum, a nonpartisan foundation that champions the First Amendment as a cornerstone of democracy. The Freedom Forum is the major funder of the operations of the Newseum.

Neuharth authored eight books, including his autobiography, "Confessions of an S.O.B.," which was a national best-seller and was translated into five languages.

He is survived by his third wife, Dr. Rachel Fornes, and their six adopted children: Alexis, Karina, twins Andre and Ariana, and twins Aliandro and Rafaelina; his two children by his first marriage to Loretta Helgeland: Dan, a psychotherapist, marriage counselor and author in California; and Jan, a lawyer, businesswoman and author in Middleburg, Va., and chairwoman of the Freedom Forum Board of Trustees; his son-in-law, Joseph Keusch; and his two grandchildren: Dani, and AJ. His second wife was Lori Wilson, a former Florida state senator.

An exhibit on Neuharth's career is on display in the News Corporation News History Gallery at the Newseum.

Share your memories of Al Neuharth on the Newseum's Facebook page.

• Neuharth Tributes Pour in From Across the USA
• USA TODAY
• Al Neuharth Free Spirit and Journalism Conference

"All The President's Men Revisited" (Fox5 DC)

"All The President's Men Revisited" at the Newseum

The premiere screening of actor and director Robert Redford's new documentary "All The President's Men Revisited" was held Thursday, April 18, 2013, at the Newseum.

The documentary is a look back at the 1976 film starring Redford and Dustin Hoffman as Washington Post reporters Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein as they investigated the Watergate scandal.

Redford, Woodward, Bernstein and former Washington Post executive editor Ben Bradlee attended the screening, which airs on the Discovery Channel Sunday, April 21, 2013, at 8 p.m. EDT.

Washington's local Fox News station covered the event. Click here for more details.

Dallas businessman Abraham Zapruder used this Bell & Howell 8 mm home movie camera to film President John F. Kennedy’s motorcade on Nov. 22, 1963. The FBI evidence tag is visible on the camera in this photo. Zapruder was the only eyewitness to capture the entire assassination on film. (Sarah Mercier/Newseum/Courtesy National Archives and Records Administration, Washington, DC)

Explore the Newseum's "JFK" Exhibits Online

If you're planning a visit to the Newseum to see our popular "JFK" exhibits, there are numerous places online where you can find more information and join the conversation about the exhibits.

Visit the "JFK" exhibit pages for special content, including an interactive multimedia timeline, "The Life of JFK," featuring exclusive photos and video.

Join more than 60,000 fans on Facebook for unique content about President Kennedy, including commemorations of landmark events of his presidency.

Follow us on Twitter and use #JFKNewseum to talk about the exhibits and share your remembrances of the Kennedys.

Visit our YouTube channel for original video content, including short features and interviews with reporters who covered the Kennedy presidency and assassination.

Share photos of your visit to the Newseum on Instagram and follow the Newseum for exclusive images from the exhibits.

Our new Pinterest board, "Remembering JFK," features photos of handwritten visitor memories of the day President Kennedy was shot.

Check out the "JFK at the Newseum" photoset on Flickr for an inside look at the artifacts and stories from the exhibits.

Joseph Pulitzer (Library of Congress, Prints & Photographs Division)

2013 Pulitzer Prizes Awarded

The best in journalism was honored Monday, April, 15, 2013, with the awarding of the Pulitzer Prize, journalism's highest honor.

Awards were given in 14 journalism categories. The public service award — which comes with a prestigious gold medal — is given to a news organization. All other winners receive $10,000 each.

This year, the Pulitzer Prize for public service was awarded to the Sun Sentinel of Fort Lauderdale, Fla., for its investigation of off-duty police officers who recklessly endangered the lives of the city's citizens.

Brad Schrade, Jeremy Olson and Glenn Howatt of the Minneapolis Star Tribune won for local reporting. Their reports on the spike in infant deaths at poorly regulated day-care homes resulted in legislative action to strengthen rules.

The award for breaking news photography went to Rodrigo Abd, Manu Brabo, Narciso Contreras, Khalil Hamra and Muhammed Muheisen of The Associated Press for their coverage of the civil war in Syria.

Freelance photographer Javier Manzano won the award for feature photography. Manzano was cited for his photograph, distributed by Agence France-Presse, of two Syrian rebel soldiers guarding their position as beams of light streamed through bullet holes in a nearby metal wall.

These images will be added to the Newseum's permanent and traveling exhibits of Pulitzer Prize-winning photographs. The exhibit catalog, "The Pulitzer Prize Photographs: Capture the Moment," showcases the photographs and reveals the stories behind them.

Since 1917, Columbia University has recognized remarkable achievements in journalism, arts and letters, thanks to a bequest from crusading publisher Joseph Pulitzer. In his will, he endowed the university with $2 million for a school of journalism and "prizes or scholarships for the encouragement of public service, public morals, American literature and the advancement of education."

For a complete list of all the winners, please visit www.pulitzer.org or to plan a visit to the Newseum, use our online travel planner.

• Pulitzer Prize Photographs Gallery
• Pulitzer Prize Photos
• Buy "The Pulitzer Prize Winning Photographs" (Paperback)
• Plan Your Visit

This contact sheet features images of John, Jacqueline, and Caroline Kennedy at their home in Hyannis Port, Massachusetts. (Credit: Estate of Jacques Lowe)

"JFK" Opens at Newseum

WASHINGTON — The Newseum kicked off the launch of its highly anticipated exhibits on the life and legacy of President John F. Kennedy on April 11 with an exclusive music-filled reception and exhibit preview.

"An Evening in Camelot" evoked the elegance and glamour the young president and his family brought to the White House in the early 1960s, and included a VIP guest list of Kennedy family, friends and former aides, and journalists who covered Kennedy's presidency and his assassination.

Guests — including House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi; CBS president Les Moonves; veteran CBS newsman Bob Schieffer; former Washington Post executive editor Ben Bradlee; former U.S. ambassador Marc Ginsberg; Victoria Allen, daughter of Kennedy photographer Jacques Lowe; Dr. William Kennedy Smith, a nephew of President Kennedy; and Clint Hill, who was first lady Jacqueline Kennedy's secret service agent during her time in the White House — were the first to view the "JFK" exhibits on the eve of its official opening.

Newseum founding partner Clarice Smith attended the reception with her daughter, Michelle. Smith and her late husband Robert E. Smith were early Newseum donors. The original "JFK" documentary "A Thousand Days" is currently showing in the 120-seat Big Screen Theater that is named after them.

"Creating Camelot: The Kennedy Photography of Jacques Lowe" and "Three Shots Were Fired are the two remaining parts of the three-segment "JFK" exhibit. "Creating Camelot" showcases the unforgettable images of public and private moments by Kennedy's personal photographer. Nikon is the exclusive sponsor of "Creating Camelot." "Three Shots Were Fired" chronicles the events that began in Dallas on Nov. 22, 1963, when a United Press International bulletin broke the news that President Kennedy had been shot. Premier sponsorship support for "Three Shots Were Fired" has been provided by Altria Group and CBS. 

The JFK exhibits have attracted considerable local, national and international media coverage.

Read about the exhibits and media coverage of the launch in a selection of links below.

• "CBS This Morning"
• "CBS Evening News with Scott Pelley"
• "NBC Nightly News with Brian Williams"
• The New York Times
• Time magazine
• USA Today (February 17, 2013)
• Washingtonian magazine
• WTOP 103.5 FM

New York Festivals 2013

Newseum Receives Top Honors in NY Festivals Awards

WASHINGTON — Three original Newseum film productions have been honored by the 2013 New York Festivals' International Television & Film Awards. The awards were announced April 9, 2013, at the National Association of Broadcasters convention in Las Vegas.

The Newseum's entries competed against those from HBO, CBS, CNN and the BBC in the competition that honors many types of programs submitted from more than 50 countries.

A Gold World Medal in production design/art direction in the documentaries category went to a film focusing on presidential campaign advertisements shown in the Newseum's Robert H. and Clarice Smith Big Screen Theater as part of the exhibit "Every Four Years: Presidential Campaigns and the Press," which closed in January 2013.

The Smith Big Screen Theater provided a particular production challenge, according to Paul Sparrow, the Newseum's senior vice president of broadcasting.

"The Big Screen Theater has a 100-foot-wide by eight-foot-high screen with five projectors seamed together. We were working with traditional political television commercials to create a design that provided additional information while the TV spots were running. It was a huge challenge," Sparrow said.

"Osama bin Laden: Interviewing a Terrorist" won a Silver World Medal in documentaries. The film is shown in the FBI exhibit and tells the story of the 1998 interview by John Miller of ABC News that effectively introduced American TV audiences to the al-Qaida leader.

A Finalist Certificate was awarded to "Neil Leifer: Photo Finish" in the documentaries category, shown as a part of a limited run exhibit on sports photography.

In addition to the New York Festivals awards, "What is New Media?" the video featured in the HP New Media Gallery, won a CINE Golden Eagle.

The opening of the "JFK" exhibit on April 12, 2013, at the Newseum includes the premiere of the original documentary "A Thousand Days," which takes viewers through the events that defined President John F. Kennedy's abbreviated time in office.

• New York Festivals Awards - International TV Programs and Films

Roger Ebert. (Sam Mircovich/Courtesy Reuters)

Remembering Roger Ebert

Roger Ebert, the Pulitzer Prize-winning movie critic whose trademark thumbs-up or thumbs-down rating system influenced millions of movie-goers, died April 4, 2013. He was 70.

Just two days ago, Ebert wrote on his blog that he would be "taking a leave of presence" because of a recurrence of cancer. He also said that his blog would take on an additional focus.

"At this point in my life, in addition to writing about movies, I may write about what it's like to cope with health challenges and the limitations they can force upon you," he said.

Ebert was diagnosed with thyroid cancer in 2002 and cancer of the salivary gland a year later. Complications from subsequent surgeries and treatments left him unable to speak. He communicated through a computerized voice synthesizer.

"I certainly miss not being able to speak," he said in a 2009 interview, "but I still have the written word that has been my first love, and I continue at full speed."

Ebert began his career as a film critic for the Chicago Sun-Times in 1967, a job the Sun-Times offered him after its previous reviewer retired.

"I think I got the job because I was young, had long hair and had reviewed the underground films that played at Second City every Monday night," he said in his book "Roger Ebert's Four-Star Reviews: 1967-2007."

Ebert's career spanned more than four decades, though he originally thought he would review movies for five years.

In 1975, he and Gene Siskel, a film critic for the rival Chicago Tribune, co-hosted a local television program called "Opening Soon at a Theater Near You." The program, where the two critiqued the latest movies of all genres, was picked up in 1978 by PBS and renamed "Sneak Previews." In 1982, the Emmy-winning pair moved to commercial TV — all the while continuing their newspaper columns.

Their commercial program was called "At the Movies," and was later renamed "Siskel & Ebert at the Movies." From their balcony seats, the powerful duo gave a "thumbs up" or "thumbs down" to movies they liked or disliked. Although they disagreed on some movies, they frequently agreed, and "two thumbs up" became the equivalent of a four-star seal of approval.

When Siskel died in 1999, several guest hosts took his place. Richard Roeper of the Sun-Times became a permanent replacement in 2000. "At the Movies with Ebert and Roeper" lasted until 2008.

Ebert wrote more than 300 movie reviews a year. On his final blog posting, he said he would focus more on his website, rogerebert.com.

"I say again, thank you for going on this journey with me. I'll see you at the movies."

Members' Night with Artifacts "From the Vault." (Maria Bryk/Newseum)

Two Glamorous Events Celebrate Opening of 'JFK'

WASHINGTON — Two special events to celebrate the opening of the Newseum's "JFK" exhibit are being held exclusively for Newseum donors and contributing and sustaining press pass members

"An Evening in Camelot"
Thursday, April 11, 2013, 6:30 p.m. to 9 p.m.

Be the first to see "Creating Camelot," "Three Shots Were Fired" and "A Thousand Days" — two new exhibits and an original documentary — before the grand opening April 12.

Join us for a heavy hors d'oeuvres and desserts reception hosted by Wolfgang Puck Catering, along with an open bar, live entertainment and picturesque views of the nation's capital from the Greenspun Terrace overlooking Pennsylvania Avenue.

Donors at the $2,500+ level will receive an invitation for two, along with the many benefits of the Friends of the First Amendment Society.

Click here for more information about joining to receive your invitation.

"Inside Look at Camelot"
Wednesday, April 17, 2013, 6:30 p.m. to 8 p.m.

Spend an intimate reception with Newseum curators as they answer questions about the artifacts in the exhibits and offer an exclusive view of the life and legacy of President John F. Kennedy. End the night on the Greenspun Terrace for a photo-op of the U.S. Capitol and the National Mall.

Become a Press Pass member at the Contributing ($250) or Sustaining ($500) level, or join the Friends of the First Amendment Society at the $1,000 level, and receive two tickets to this special evening.

Click here for more information about joining to receive your invitation.

Peak Cherry Blossom Bloom at end of March

WASHINGTON — The peak blooming period for the cherry blossom trees in Washington, D.C., is predicted to be between March 26-30, 2013, according to James Perry, chief of Resource Management at the National Park Service.

"For the 12th year in a row, the cherry blossoms will reach their peak bloom in the midst of the Cherry Blossom Festival," Perry said Monday at a press conference at the Newseum. The 2013 National Cherry Blossom Festival will be celebrated March 20 to April 14.

Perry explained that at the beginning of the blooming period, about 20 percent of the blossoms are out. The peak bloom occurs a few days later, when 70 percent of the cherry blossoms are out.

The announcement included a performance by members of Washington, D.C.'s Ballou High School marching band, which performed for the president during the 2013 inauguration parade and will also entertain at the Cherry Blossom Festival parade on April 13. This year for the first time, the parade will be broadcast live. WUSA-9 will broadcast the event.

Each year, the festival celebrates the friendship between the United States and Japan. Steve Lorenzetti, a deputy superintendent with National Park Service, emphasized the importance of the Park Service's cherry blossom preservation efforts. Some of the original trees, a gift from Japan to the United States in 1912, are still part of the festival, Lorenzetti said.

• National Cherry Blossom Festival

NIE Week

Newseum, American Press Institute Celebrate Newspaper In Education Week

WASHINGTON — The Newseum and the American Press Institute are partnering to celebrate the annual Newspaper In Education Week, which emphasizes the use of newspapers as educational resources in classrooms across a range of subjects.

When: March 4-8, 2013

API is providing curriculum guides for teachers of all grade levels that cover topics such as media literacy, ethics, fairness and newsgathering. Each lesson is designed to meet Common Core State Standards and includes instructional objectives, as well as a list of materials and resources. The guides are available for free download on the API website.

The Newseum provides teacher resources in its Digital Classroom — a multimedia, interactive, cross-disciplinary toolkit for teachers and students that offers high-quality digital media content in a curriculum-based structure for middle, high school and college classes. The flexible and interactive material — offered in conjunction with the Newseum's Education Department — meets national standards of learning and gives students a deeper understanding of the five freedoms of the First Amendment.

• American Press Institute - NIE Week
• Digital Classroom

Marching for Women's Rights

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Radical suffragist Alice Paul led the effort to organize the parade. This illustration served as the cover for the parade's official program. (Library of Congress, Prints & Photographs Division)

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These cartoons poked fun at suffragists marching to Washington for the parade. The fight for women's suffrage was rarely taken seriously by the mainstream press. (Library of Congress, Prints & Photographs Division)

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The parade began peacefully, but soon turned violent as hostile crowds blocked the marchers, jeering and sometimes assaulting them. Police looked on or joined in the abuse, as reported in The Salem Evening News. (Newseum collection)

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Headlines about mistreatment of the marchers, seen in this edition of Washington's Evening Star, brought attention and sympathy to the suffrage movement. Congress investigated the abuse, and Washington's police superintendent resigned. (Newseum collection)

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The Woman's Journal and Suffrage News derided the police force's behavior in this editorial cartoon, which appeared above a report on the Senate's investigation of the parade disruptions. (Newseum collection)

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The parade marked an important step forward in the struggle for women's rights. "Equal suffrage has scored a great victory," reported the Woman's Journal and Suffrage News. (Newseum collection)

Celebrate Women's History Month at the Newseum

See our free exhibit "Marching for Women's Rights" March 1-14 outside the Newseum on Pennsylvania Avenue.

Newsmaking Women
Follow the trail of newsmaking women found throughout the Newseum with this handy guide.

• Download Guide (PDF)

On March 3, 1913, the eve of President Woodrow Wilson's first inauguration, 5,000 suffragists — with the striking visual of lawyer Inez Milholland leading the parade on a white horse — marched down Pennsylvania Avenue demanding the right to vote.

Faced with lagging enthusiasm for women's suffrage, the female marchers — nurses, farmers, doctors, actors, and academics — put on an impressive pageant that featured music and performers, including a woman dressed as Columbia, the feminine representation of the United States. Activist Alice Paul had spearheaded efforts to raise money and organize the parade, which upstaged Wilson's arrival for his inauguration.

But the suffragists' cause was not well received by the unruly and mostly male spectators who had crowded into the nation's capital for the inauguration. They assaulted the marchers, impeding the peaceful procession from the U.S. Capitol to the Treasury building, while the police watched and rarely intervened. Many of the women suffered injuries and had to be hospitalized.

Despite the vehement opposition, the suffragists — through the attention-grabbing visuals and sympathetic media coverage of the violence — succeeded in making their message heard.

While the constitutional amendment that gave women the right to vote wasn't ratified until 1920, the suffrage parade paved the way for renewed attention to the historic and democratic importance of women's rights.

The dramatic, behind-the-scenes story of the suffrage parade will be told in "Marching For Women's Rights," a free outdoor exhibit of historic newspaper front pages and graphics located in front of the Newseum on Pennsylvania Avenue. The exhibit will appear in the front-page cases March 1-14, 2013. Inside the building, a special guide exploring the stories of "Newsmaking Women" throughout the Newseum, will be available during March, Women's History Month.

This exhibit was made possible through generous sponsorship support from
the American Association of University Women.

ABC News correspondent John Miller's 1998 interview with Osama bin Laden is the subject of  the Newseum film "Osama bin Laden: Interviewing a Terrorist."

Three Newseum-Produced Films in Running for Top Honors

WASHINGTON — Three original films produced by and presented in the Newseum are finalists in the New York Festivals World's Best Television & Film competition, which honors programming in all lengths and forms from more than 50 countries around the world.

The Newseum's work was recognized alongside films from HBO, Showtime, ESPN, CNN and other major networks. Award winners will be announced April 9.

• "Osama bin Laden: Interviewing a Terrorist," a finalist in the Documentary category, is shown continuously in the Newseum's FBI Exhibit in a special section exploring the War on Terror. In the film, John Miller of ABC News describes his experience interviewing the al-Qaeda leader in 1998, when many Americans were not familiar with the name Osama bin Laden. Less than two months after Miller's interview, simultaneous bombings at U.S. embassies in Kenya and Tanzania signaled the start of al-Qaeda's holy war against the United States.
• The Newseum's other honored films, "Neil Leifer – Photo Finish" (Documentary) and "Every Four Years: Presidential Ad Campaigns" (Production Design/Art Direction) were created in conjunction with special limited-engagement exhibits.

Beginning April 12, 2013, as part of a year-long exploration of President John F. Kennedy, the Newseum will present "A Thousand Days," an original documentary that recounts the youthful glamour and newsworthy moments of Kennedy's time in the White House.

• New York Festivals Awards - International TV Programs and Films
• JFK
• Photo Finish: The Sports Photography of Neil Leifer
• Every Four Years: Presidential Campaign Ads