Tips for finding news articles from your country

3 ways using Google…

1. Change the Region

2. Change the Edition

3. Search International Domain Suffixes

Google Advanced Search (the most effective): google.com/advanced_search

Change region Put your topic and

country name in the top box

In results list, click News

along the topGo back and set

language to English if you get results in other languages

Google News SearchIn Google,

click on News

Change the “edition” to your country (note: will change language!)

International domain suffixesFind the domain suffix for your

country & run a Google Advanced Search within that domain

Not foolproof (ICANN is no longer restricting domains).

The minus sign will remove things from a search. Ex: pollution site: .ly –bit.ly

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Internet_top-level_domains#Country_code_top-level_domains

2 Ways Using Databases…

1. InfoTrac

2. ProQuest

InfoTracVisit www.aclibrary.orgUnder “Research” (drop-down

menu)Choose “A-Z Resources”Choose InfoTracChoose Advanced SearchLimit “to documents with full text”Can choose newspaper titles under

“Title”

ProQuestVisit www.irvington.org/libraryClick on ProQuestLog in with username and

password provided by IHS librarian

Choose either e-library or SIRSClick Advanced SearchLimit to “Newspapers”Search for your topic

Freedom of the PressKeep in mind that not all news sources

are independent and neutralIn many countries, news is censored,

reporters can be fired or even killed for telling the truth

And many news sources are simply mouthpieces for the government

Even in countries with strong press freedom, some sources have goals beyond reporting the news

General Interest PeriodicalsTry to find general interest periodicals……that is, ones whose goal is to report the news…

…rather than those with a specific agenda , such as a periodical published by an environmental organization or by a political or religious group.

What if I can’t?If you can’t find a general interest

periodical……or your periodical may not be

independent……investigate your periodical’s

mission and take that into account, describing it in the Comparison section of your Periodical Review chart…

RIA Novosti describes the withdrawal of troops in the Rostov region as a normal part of the ending of their training in that area, “the process of returning troops to regular station after their participation in…drills” while CNN calls it “The troop buildup near the Ukrainian border.” RIA Novosti was founded by an order from Vladimir Putin and is considered by independent press freedom organizations as a state-controlled news source, so they would be unlikely to publish information that contradicts President Putin.

How do I evaluate an article? : “3 Ws”

Who: WHO created the source and are they an expert on my topic?

For news sources, specifically: Find the “About Us” section of the news

source’s main page Who writes & edits for them? Who is the publisher? Who created the

source? Who funds the source? If any doubt, Google them to look for conflicts

& check an international media watchdog organization like Reporters Without Borders

WhyWHY did they create it? Are they trying to educate you, persuade you, or sell you something? (“Bias”)

NEWS SOURCES:News sources should be trying to inform people about what’s happening.Look for their mission in the About sections of the site. Consider the goals of founders and funders. Check outside sources if any doubt!

WhenWHEN did they create it? Is it too old? (“Currency”)

Good NEWS SOURCES will ALWAYS have a date. Dates will be at the top of the page, under the author’s name or article title (byline).

Freedom of the Press?The following sites can help you

determine to what extent journalists in your country are free to report the truth, and to what extent they are controlled by the government or other forces…

Press Freedom Orgs:◦Reporters Without Borders:http://en.rsf.org/spip.php?page=classement&id_rubrique=1054http://rsf.org/index2014/en-index2014.php◦Committee to Protect Journalists:http://cpj.org/◦IFEX (80 orgs, started in Canada):

http://www.ifex.org/