HP, Newseum Announce Major New Media Gallery

HP (NYSE:HPQ) and the Newseum, an interactive museum devoted to issues related to the news media and society, today announced they are collaborating on a new, hands-on media gallery that will allow Newseum visitors to explore technology’s impact on the ever-evolving way that information is reported, distributed and accessed.

Social media tools are empowering individuals by offering platforms for networking and exchanging ideas, revolutionizing the way people connect and communicate. This gallery will be continually changing to reflect that landscape.

The HP New Media Gallery, targeted to open in early 2012, will provide an immersive experience that will enable Newseum visitors from around the globe to explore technology’s role in the democratization of content and news. The gallery will show how technology has drastically changed the collection and dissemination of news, empowering citizens while challenging traditional media business models.

With this collaboration, HP becomes a Founding Partner of the Newseum and will contribute $5 million over the next 10 years to underwrite the new gallery.

“At HP, our technology is harnessing the power of information to change the equation for people, businesses and society,” said Michael Mendenhall, senior vice president and chief marketing officer, HP. “This interactive, innovative venture will examine what the changing equation means for the news media and news consumers around the world.”

“We are most grateful to HP for this generous gift. With it, we will be able to advance the Newseum’s content further into the future and combine our 500 years of news history with even more up-to-the minute technologies,” said Charles Overby, chief executive officer, Newseum.

Since its 2008 opening on Pennsylvania Avenue in Washington, D.C., the Newseum’s interactive displays on the news media and society have become one of the “must-see” attractions in the nation’s capital.

Phil McKinney, vice president and chief technology officer of the Personal Systems Group at HP, and Shelby Coffey III, trustee of the Newseum, previewed a taste of the planned gallery with help from some HP technology. Two 42-inch HP multitouch displays featured videos of great moments in news history intertwined with breaking-news feeds delivered via Twitter.