One of my favorite parts of my seventh grade Washington D.C. field trip was visiting the Newseum, an interactive museum that celebrated the media, the freedom of the press and expression and the First Amendment.
Sadly, the 50-ton, 74-foot-tall marble tablet is going into storage.
After suffering financial losses, the Penn Quarter journalism-and-media museum closed in 2019. The building was purchased that same year by John Hopkins University for $372.5 million.
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| The 74-foot-tall marble tablet used to be displayed on the front-side of the Newseum building. Photo retrieved from Flicker user Steve Gardner |
Embedded in marble, it reads:
"Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press, or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and petition the Government for a redress of grievances."
The First Amendment on the Newseum building being dismantled is a troubling reminder to Americans of how many individuals (cough, big-tech companies) don't respect or value the freedom of the press, or more importantly, the First Amendment.
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| Workers remove the copy of a First Amendment from the front of the former Newseum building. Image retrieved from Poynter |
No announcement has been made if the First Amendment wall will be relocated.
Watch a video more on the former Newseum building:
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