Paramount Pictures

Today, the Newseum’s latest exhibit, “Anchorman: The Exhibit,” opens.

The exhibit, which is opening in partnership with Paramount Pictures tied to the release of their upcoming film, Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues, will feature props and costumes, along with footage from the original 2004 film, Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy. There will also be a re-creation of the KVWN-TV anchor desk and news set, where people will be able to pose for photo ops as well as a “Be a TV Reporter” experience, where you can step behind the anchors desk and recite your favorite Anchorman lines for the umpteenth time in front of a camera.

The exhibit, which runs until August 31, 2014, is certainly a noble attempt to renew interest in one of D.C.’s most interesting museums (though, as a journalist, I’m biased), but it seems a bit inappropriate for the Newseum to devote this much time and energy into promoting an exhibit honoring a narrative film (albeit one that’s funny as hell) rather than, you know, actual journalism.

But the Newseum insists that the “Anchorman” exhibit will, in fact, address the reality behind the film. From a press release:

“Anchorman: The Exhibit” explores the reality behind the humor of the film by telling the story of the challenges women faced when they arrived in newsrooms in the 1970s. A Newseum-produced film features interviews with contemporary news anchors Connie Chung, Maury Povich and Melba Tolliver, as well as news executive Al Primo, who is credited with revolutionizing broadcast news with the creation of the Eyewitness News format. Local TV news promotional ads from the 1970s and photos of popular news teams of the day also are part of the exhibit.

In addition to the exhibit, the Newseum will host an invitation-only evening with the legend himself, Ron Burgundy Will Ferrell on December 3, as well as an advanced screening of the new film with Champ Kind David Koechner on December 17.