About Finding News
This page provides information and links to help you find relevant news you can use for your assignments.
Get Free Access to News Articles
Get access to the full text of The Economist articles through our databases. TIP: If you're looking for a specific article you saw on The Economist's website, use part of the first sentence, in quotes, to search instead of the title, which might be different.
- The Economist (online)The Economist (online) has the same versions of articles as the magazine's website. There may be a short delay before articles appear here.
- The EconomistSearch within the print version of the London-based magazine The Economist or browse issues, within the ABI/Inform database. Articles and their titles may differ from the magazine's website.
You can get access to The New York Times for free during your time at Cal Maritime. If you have trouble, we're happy to troubleshoot in the library.
- Get free access to the New York TImesUse your Cal Maritime email (@csum.edu) to claim your free subscription!
You can also get full text of Wall Street Journal articles through the Cal Maritime Library databases.
Finding News Articles
News Databases
The following are databases offering large collections of news publications from around the world.
- NewsStream (ProQuest) This link opens in a new windowSearch the most recent global news content, as well as archives which stretch back into the 1980s featuring newspapers, newswires, blogs, and news sites in active full- text format
- NewsBank This link opens in a new windowA comprehensive news collection useful for exploring issues and events at the local, regional, national and international level. Source types include print and online-only newspapers, blogs, newswires, magazines, broadcast transcripts and videos.
- Ethnic News Watch This link opens in a new windowAn interdisciplinary, bilingual (English and Spanish) database of newspapers, magazines and journals from ethnic, minority and native presses.
Popular News Magazines
The following are online versions of popular news magazines.
- TIME"Breaking news and analysis from TIME.com. Politics, world news, photos, video, tech reviews, health, science and entertainment news."
- Newsweek"Newsweek provides in-depth analysis, news and opinion about international issues, technology, business, culture and politics."
- U.S. News & World Report"U.S. News & World Report publishes news, opinion, consumer advice, rankings, and analysis."
Opinion vs. News
As you look for news, you will run across different types of news articles. The type of article you're reading makes a big difference in how you should use it. Understanding the difference between reported news and opinion pieces or editorials helps you use news more effectively.
Opinion versus news
Opinion pieces
- Promote a single viewpoint
- May use first person - "I" or "we"
- More personal tone, including anecdotes
- Labeled as: opinion, editorial, review, commentary, or analysis
Reported news articles
- Present a variety of viewpoints
- Don't advocate for any one viewpoint
- Contain observable & verifiable facts
- Typically written in third person - "they" or "them"
- Attribute opinions to sources, using phrases such as "he said" or "she explained"
Based on an infographic in Eliana Miller, "Opinion, news or editorial? Readers often can’t tell the difference," July 15, 2020, Poynter.
Test your powers: take this quiz from the Pew Research Center to see if you can identify factual statements.
- Interactive Media Bias ChartThe Interactive Media Bias Chart® is a data visualization that displays measures of news (and “news-like”) articles and sources generated by analysts and staff of Ad Fontes Media.
- WIkipedia: Perennial SourcesThis list of commonly used news outlets provides information on which are considered by a consensus of WIkipedia's editors to be generally reliable, questionable, unreliable, or in the most extreme cases blacklisted from use on the site. A useful list for understanding bias in sources.