The Newseum, one of Washington's newest attractions, has trimmed its staff for the second time since reopening in its new, larger location on Pennsylvania Avenue NW in April 2008. In the latest round of dismissals, which took place late last month, the Newseum eliminated 29 full-time positions, or 13 percent of personnel. It has now reduced its staff by 23 percent overall. 'The cuts are spread throughout the organization, but should not affect the experience of museum visitors,' said Kenneth Paulson, the museum's president. He added there were 'minor cutbacks' within the floor staff, the workers who interact most with visitors. Many museums in Washington, where the majority of the large attractions are subsidized by the government, have suffered from the fallout of the recession. In the Newseum's case, Paulson said, fundraising was the hurdle. 'All of our donors who had made pledges filled them. But we saw fewer new donors. We fell about 20 percent shorter than our budgeted figure,' he said. The museum, which chronicles the history of how the news has been covered and disseminated, had 300 employees at the outset, a number that in part reflected personnel needs surrounding the Newseum's opening. By November 2008, just before the first round of layoffs, the staff numbered 250; it now stands at 181 people. Additionally, several employees lost to attrition have not been replaced. On the positive side, the Newseum has had solid attendance. 'We will top 720,000, we are trending ahead of that,' Paulson said. 'Month after month, we had exceeded last year's numbers. And our catering operations continue to drive revenue.' 