On hand for the event were Newseum founder Al Neuharth, Newseum Chief Executive Officer Charles Overby and Washington Mayor Adrian M. Fenty, as well as Arthur Sulzberger Jr., chairman of The New York Times Co.; Michael Bloomberg, mayor of New York City; Rupert Murdoch, chairman of News Corp.; Nancy Pelosi, speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives and Chief Justice John Roberts.

The Newseum is described on its Web site as "a 250,000-square-foot museum of news," which "offers visitors an experience that blends five centuries of news history with up-to-the-second technology and hands-on exhibits."