Newseum Launches 'The Future of News' in Televised Series Hosted by Frank Sesno

Newseum Launches 'The Future of News' in Televised Series Hosted by Frank Sesno

WASHINGTON, Sept. 8 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The Newseum is launching "The Future of News," a new 10-part television series featuring lively, cutting-edge conversations with well-known journalists and new media pioneers about the evolution of news reporting in an Internet age.

(Logo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20080919/NEWSEUMLOGO)

The initial 10 programs will be hosted by Frank Sesno, award-winning broadcaster and professor at George Washington University. Panelists include NBC's Ann Curry; The Washington Post's Bob Woodward; ABC's Sam Donaldson; Tina Brown, founder and editor-in-chief of The Daily Beast; Craigslist founder Craig Newmark; Instapundit Glenn Reynolds; new media critic Jay Rosen; Politico co-founder Jim VandeHei; and Charles Sennott of Global Post.

"The Future of News," produced at the Newseum and distributed by American Public Television, will feature in-depth discussions and debates about traditional news media adapting in a digital world, new media solutions outside traditional news business models, citizen journalists, the future of newspapers, the "digital divide," the speed of news and other topics.

Each 30-minute program will highlight emerging news sources and offer timely tips on how news consumers can navigate the ever-expanding maze of digital information. Touch-screen technology will be used to introduce viewers to Web sites that offer credible alternatives to traditional news providers. In addition, the guests will discuss the role of a free press in a digital democracy.

Video segments produced by the Newseum's award-winning producers will set up each week's topic. The Newseum's vast content, which includes thousands of historic newspapers, photographs and news-related artifacts, will be incorporated into the programs to provide historical context.

"The Newseum is uniquely positioned to lead the discussion about where people will go to find accurate news in the future," said Paul Sparrow, vice president of broadcasting for the Newseum. "This show will be a User's Guide to News 2.0, bringing together the best and the brightest in both traditional and new media."

"The Future of News," which is slated to air in early 2010, will be available via the varied distribution platforms of public television. The Newseum programming is partially funded with a grant from the Ford Foundation. Additional underwriting is welcome. Funders are entitled to a 15-second acknowledgement at the beginning and end of each show and will be included in all online and print material.

About the Newseum Production Team

Host

Frank Sesno is an award-winning broadcast journalist who formerly served as CNN's Washington, D.C., bureau chief, news anchor, analyst and reporter. Now a special correspondent for CNN, Sesno serves as director of the School of Media and Public Affairs at George Washington University in Washington, D.C., where he also is a professor of media, public affairs and international affairs. Sesno has appeared on public television channels nationwide, the History Channel and National Public Radio as an independent commentator. He also hosted the innovative Web/broadcast special "Planet Forward" for PBS and the long-running annual specials "A Public Voice," distributed by American Public Television.

Production Executive

Paul Sparrow is an Emmy Award-winning producer with 30 years' experience in television production. He came to the Newseum in 1998 and produced "Holocaust: The Untold Story," which was nominated for an Emmy Award and carried by the History Channel. He also was executive in charge of production for "The World at Large," a public television series featuring David Gergen and produced in association with SCETV. Before coming to the Newseum, Sparrow produced more than 300 hours of prime-time network programming.

Series Producer

Susan Brooks Kelly is an award-winning multimedia producer for the Newseum with more than 25 years of broadcasting experience. Before joining the Newseum, she spent nearly 10 years in NBC News' Washington bureau, working on documentaries, the "Today" show and as production manager for "Meet the Press" with the late Tim Russert.

About the Newseum

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. Within its seven levels of galleries and theaters, the Newseum offers a unique environment that takes museum-goers behind the scenes to experience how and why news is made.

The Newseum is open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily and is closed on Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year's Day. Admission is $20 for adults, $18 for seniors (65 and older) and $13 for youth (7 to 18). Annual memberships also are available. For additional information, the public may call 888/NEWSEUM (888/639-7386) or visit newseum.org.

American Public Television

American Public Television (APT) has been a leading distributor of high-quality, top-rated programming to America's public television stations since 1961. Among its 300 new program titles per year are prominent documentaries, dramatic series, how-to programs, children's series and classic movies, including "Spain . . . on the road Again," "Rick Steves' Europe," "Worldfocus," "Globe Trekker," "Simply Ming," "America's Test Kitchen From Cook's Illustrated," "Lidia's Family Table," "P. Allen Smith's Garden Home," "Murdoch Mysteries," "Doc Martin," "Rosemary and Thyme," "Johnny Cash at Folsom Prison," "Carreras, Domingo and Pavarotti" and "John Denver: The Wildlife Concert." APT also distributes to international channels through its APT Worldwide service. In 2006, APT launched Create(TM) -- the TV channel featuring the best of public television's lifestyle programming. For more information about APT's programs and services, visit APTonline.org.

Photo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20080919/NEWSEUMLOGO
AP Archive: http://photoarchive.ap.org/
PRN Photo Desk photodesk@prnewswire.com
Source: Newseum

CONTACT: Susan Bennett of the Newseum, +1-202-292-6310

Web Site: http://www.newseum.org/
http://www.aptonline.org/

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