Newspapers

Newspapers can be a useful source for information on current and historical events. Newspapers may be used as primary source or secondary source depending on the information and how it is used.

The USIC has several formats for access by USIC students and TAS faculty:

1. Multiple newspaper databases that are searchable along with other resources. These include both historical and current sources.
2. Press Reader: A collection of newspapers in hundreds of languages from around the globe. Updated constantly.
3. Individual Newspapers: New York Times, Financial Times.

Back to Resource Types.

Newspaper articles can provide primary source information about historical and current events.

• Seeing how people viewed an event when it happened;

• Providing multiple points of view about an issue, including a comparison of the United States and international views;

• Permitting researchers to trace the historical development of subjects over time;

• Examining issues in the context of their time (by seeing how stories about an issue relate to other stories, or by examining the type of coverage provided);

• Giving a snapshot of a time period detailing how people lived, and what they purchased which is helpful for writers, playwrights, historians, etc.

Newspaper articles can also serve as a secondary source because they also contain commentaries or retrospective articles about events in which the article authors were not or could not be present.

Adapted from Ohio State Univ. guide.

Information used to cite a news article from a database.

• Database name or URL
• Article author
• Article Title
• Section of the newspaper, or pages where it appeared
• Newspaper title
• City of publication
• Date of publication

See sample citations on the All Styles Citation Guide. [insert link later]

What newspapers can I access for general, daily news?

The USIC has many newspaper options for research, but Press Reader and New York Times are best for daily news.

Are there any physical, paper newspapers?

Paper editions of newspapers are slowly disappearing. The USIC has only one daily, print newspaper: The Taipei Times. It is available next to the circulation desk daily after the USIC opens at 7:30.

What is Press Reader?

Press Reader is a newspaper service that includes thousands of newspapers (magazines, and other publications) in hundreds of languages from around the globe. Anyone from the TAS community may set up an account and have access to Press Reader. More info here. [link to directions for Press Reader account registration].

How can I get the New York Times?

The USIC set up an academic pass for access to the NEW York Times. To register an account, go to http://nytimes.com/passes and register using an email account from a TAS domain (e.g., tas.edu.tw; students.tas.edu.tw). Students have access until graduation. Faculty must re-register annually. 

How can I access Newspapers for Research?

For general research on a broad topic, it is more effective to search newspaper databases than individual newspapers. Search each newspaper database separately or use EDS-One Search or the Bento Search and limit the results by "news" or by the actual publication name.  USIC news databases include: Newsbank, Newspaper Source, America's Historical Newpapers, Access World News, TopicSearch, and World News Digest.