The vanity-inspired Newseum may be soon old news

With apologies to King Kong-it was ego that helped killed the beast, with a bit of greed tossed in for good measure.

One of the symbols of the demise of American journalism is close to going the way of the technology-plagued newspaper industry that was instrumental in building it.

The future of one man's tribute to his own self -importance disguised as a memorial to the work that made him wealthy, the Newseum, may be on its way to the history it celebrates-at times not very well. Located on Washington's iconic Pennsylvania Avenue, it occupies some of the most valuable real estate in the capital city. It also has been a steady loser despite charging visitors substantially in a sea of some of the most distinguished museums anywhere, all of which are free.

What would the average tourist rather see-the late Tim Russert's office for $25 or peruse the wonders of flight from Kitty Hawk to Cape Canaveral displayed in the Air and Space Museum nearby at no cost?

Ask the Freedom Forum, which owns and manages the property and is reported to be considering a way out of its financial morass brought on by the 250,000-square foot white elephant-sell all or part. None of this is any surprise. Most insiders have been expecting it for some time as every attempt to turn around the situation has failed, including efforts to get help from fellow print institutions.

The Freedom Forum, a lofty handle for what was the old Gannett Foundation, was the brainchild of the late Al Neuharth, the founder of USA Today and a black and white presence (he wore only a combination of the two as a symbol of his product) that seemed at times insatiable in its need for self -aggrandizement. When he stepped down as Gannett's CEO, he forced the company to buy back its company stock held by the foundation to support the Forum.

The first museum was across the Potomac River in Arlington, a well-done much tighter operation. But it didn't match Neuharth's image of himself so the Pennsylvania property became the Forum's focus. After expensive delays, the new Newseum finally opened at the worst possible time, in 2008, the official beginning of the Great Recession.

It was a study of modern but muted extravagance and quickly became a center of news-centered activities and a Wolfgang Puck restaurant to boot.

But nothing could stop the financial bleeding in the face of an onslaught of technology that cut the legs off print journalism-an actual event that Neuharth had set in motion years earlier when he and his boss at the time, Paul Miller, led the way in revolutionizing the business of newspapering, seducing family owners and Wall Street with unimagined profit margins built by slashing costs and thus product. They bought high and quickly turned average 6 to 10 percent profits into 20, 30 and 40 percent. Wall Street, caring nothing about quality journalism, loved it. Then came the internet.

Stories of Neuharth's messianic tendencies abound. I personally recall judging a contest with him in which the host at lunch gave each of us a maroon or blue club tie with his company's logo on it. Neuharth demanded an exchange for a black one, if possible. They had one made for him.

At one point, unable to get Neuharth's limousine out of the garage at the publisher's Florida home, his driver resorted to his own auto, more than a little less opulent than the limo.

As he drove the great man and a colleague to a meeting, Neuharth was said to have continuously berated him. The driver stopped his car in the middle of the causeway, announced he no longer worked for Neuharth and ordered both passengers out. The two finally flagged down a shrimp truck or something similar. Oh, yes. It was raining. I once asked Neuharth's successor at Gannett if the tale were true and he replied, "Absolutely."

In its portrayal of history, the Newseum seems to have treated some newspapers and newspaper organizations better than others, leading to speculation that those who gave when the hat was passed fared better. Sadly, what started out as a seemingly noble cause quickly got submerged in monument building, severely reducing the Freedom Forum's corpus by half and leaving its new color, black and blue.

Sorry, Al.

Upcoming Events