Library Research Guides: SOC 137Y: Reading Sociology: What Culture Teaches Us about Social Life: Find News

News Sources

Nexis Uni news sources This link opens in a new window
U.S. & foreign newspapers, 1980s to present (dates of coverage vary).
Alt-PressWatch This link opens in a new window
Articles from newspapers, magazines, and journals of the alternative and independent press, 1995 to present.
Global Newsstream This link opens in a new window
One of the largest collections of news from the US, Canada, Europe, Africa, Asia, Latin America, and Australia, many in full text, as well as news sites, blogs, and newswires from the 1980s to the present (dates vary by title).
Ethnic NewsWatch This link opens in a new window
An interdisciplinary, bilingual (English and Spanish), full text database of newspapers, magazines, and journals from ethnic, minority and native presses, 1960 to present.
PressReader This link opens in a new window
Thousands of magazines and newspapers in more than 60 languages, from over 160 countries, in original color print layout, from the past 45+ days.
African American Newspapers, 1827-1998 This link opens in a new window
270 newspapers published in 36 states, including rare 19th-century titles.
African Newspapers, 1800-1922 This link opens in a new window
More than 40 fully searchable English- and foreign-language African newspapers published in the 19th and early 20th centuries.
America's Historical Newspapers This link opens in a new window
Searchable full-text of more than 1,000 historical U.S. newspapers. The core of this database is Early American Newspapers, 1690-1922, searchable along with African American Newspapers, 1827-1998, and Ethnic American Newspapers from the Balch Collection, 1799-1971.
American Indian Newspapers This link opens in a new window
Nearly 200 years of Indigenous print journalism from the US and Canada.
Ethnic American Newspapers from the Balch Collection, 1799-1971 This link opens in a new window
More than 130 searchable newspapers from the Balch Collection, published by members of many influential American ethnic groups in 25 U.S. states.
US Newsstream This link opens in a new window
One of the largest collections of US newspapers, many in full text, as well as news sites, blogs, and newswires from the 1980s to the present (dates vary by title). Includes The Los Angeles Times, The New York Times, Chicago Tribune, and The Wall Street Journal.

Critically Evaluating Your Sources

Here are some criteria to keep in mind when choosing and using both print and online sources:

Accuracy - What is the purpose of the document and why was it produced? Does the author cite their sources and are the sources legitimate?
Authority - Who wrote the source? Is the author credible? What are the author's credentials (educational background, past writing, experience) in this area? Have you seen the author's name cited in other sources or bibliographies? Who published the source? Is the publisher scholarly (university press, scholarly associations)? Commercial? Government agency? Is the source self-published (“vanity”press)? For online information, check the domain of the document — what institution publishes this document?
Objectivity - Does the author have a bias, political or commercial or persuasive?
Currency - Is this information new or based on outdated sources? Can you tell how current it is? How up-to-date are the links (if any)?
Audience - Who is the information written for: a specific readership, level of expertise, or age/grade level? Is the audience focus appropriate for a research paper?

Unsure about a source? Ask me!