FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
June 25, 2007 

TIP SHEET: A MEDIA CAPITAL

A buzzing media and political center, DC will grab headlines again this fall with the highly-anticipated opening of the Newseum (newseum.org). Located on Pennsylvania Avenue between the Capitol and the White House, the 250,000 square-foot, seven-level, $435 million facility will entice visitors with more than a dozen galleries that examine how the media has covered the most important events of the past century. Other attractions include an interactive newsroom, a broadcast studio, one of two surviving "Checkpoint Charlie" towers and the largest section of the Berlin Wall outside of Germany, plus an actual news helicopter, front page newspapers from around the globe and a journalists memorial honoring those who died while reporting the news.

While the Newseum is the newest media-related attraction, it's not the only attraction in the District designed with newshounds in mind. If you're planning Newseum coverage, keep these related sites in mind:

Media Tours and Attractions

• Voice of America Studio Tours: Get a behind-the-scenes look at this 24-hour international, multimedia news broadcast facility, located near Capitol Hill. Free interactive tours are offered Monday through Friday at 12 pm and 3 pm. On the 45-minute tour, you'll catch live television programs in production and watch radio reporters in action.
• National Geographic Museum at Explorers Hall: Readers of the famous yellow-bound magazine will want to pay a stop at the namesake museum. Check out the interactive exhibitions, but save time for a visit to the hall's photo gallery, displaying National Geographic's signature photography.
• The Washington Post Tours: One of the nation's most prestigious newspapers opens up its downtown newsroom on Mondays for public tours for groups of 10-30 people. Advanced reservations are required; view washpost.com/community/you/tours.shtml for booking information.

Late-Breaking News

• National Archives: Go beyond the Archives' most famous documents and visit the Public Vaults, an interactive exhibition that enables you to leaf through and listen in on the first-hand accounts of history-making events like the Apollo moon landing, the Cuban Missile Crisis and the Kennedy Assassination.
• U.S. Supreme Court: The First Amendment has been tried and tested time and again in the highest court. Learn about court proceedings or listen in on oral arguments with a visit to the Supreme Court. Oral arguments are heard Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday of the first two weeks of each month; visitors can listen in on a 3-5 segment or stick around for the full proceedings (entry is on a first-come, first-served basis). When the court isn't in session, lectures are given every hour on the half-hour from 9:30 am to 3:30 pm.

Headlining Entertainers

• Capitol Steps: DC's world-famous musical comedy revue takes current events and headline-grabbing scandals and works them into political parodies. Right now, you can watch a Mitt Romney-look-a-like croon, "Help Me Fake it to the Right" while Alberto Gonzalez takes a cue from Gilbert & Sullivan with "I am the very model of a mad attorney general." The Steps perform every Friday and Saturday night at the Ronald Reagan Building and International Trade Center at 7:30 pm; for tickets and more information, visit www.capsteps.com.

Newsworthy Restaurants

• National Press Club: For nearly 100 years, this downtown DC landmark has served as a home for Washington correspondents from national and international media outlets. While the facility itself is a grand, members-only office building, the public is welcomed at The Fourth Estate, the club's fine dining restaurant. Scan for famous faces as you feast on Chef Jim Swenson's New American cuisine.
• Nathan's: Owned by Carol Joynt, a veteran journalist and former network news producer, Nathan's draws a crowd for more than just its casual American fare and lively bar scene. Every other week, Nathan's hosts the "Q&A Café," a lunchtime question-and-answer session with leading media and political figures along with an occasional celebrity. Guests pay $30 for their meal and an opportunity to engage in an hour-long discussion with notables like Bob Woodward, Carly Fiorina, Chris Matthews and Peter Greenberg.

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About Destination DC: Destination DC, the lead destination marketing organization for the nation’s capital, is a private, non-profit membership organization of more than 1,000 businesses committed to marketing the area as a premier global convention, tourism and special events destination with a special emphasis on the arts, cultural and historic communities. Destinationdc.com