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News Sources

The Library subscribes to the Washington Post. Get the username and password in the library for online access.

How to access our databases.

Avoid Fake News Use credible, reputable, well staffed news sources. Select: Professional journalists who adhere to their code of ethics Editors who apply research teams and professional standards Sources that share counter-points, embrace critical review, feedback for correction where there isfreedom of the press. See “Research” at the library’s web pages for valuable Sources.

Recommended Databases:

  • Daily news and archived past news stories from The New York Times and thousands of other newspapers can be searched up in our database called Gale News.  Find that database in the High School Databases menu as described at the link above. Provides text but not all associated images or the “layout” that publishers intended.
  • Daily newspapers with more of the “look and feel” that the publishers intended:  available in World Book Advanced – Under “Research & Resources” in the upper right hand corner of its home page. Find newspapers from all over the world and every state in the U.S. — just today’s issue. The tool does not provide back issues across all newspapers.
  • World History in Context– see fantastic video, reference and magazine articles there with a quick search.
  • American History in Context– video, reference and magazine articles there with a quick search.
  • Historical Newspapers:  Arlington Public Library provides card-holders online access to these databasesNew York Times (Historical), The Evening Star (local to DC), The Washington Post, and Alexandria Gazette, and from many important US newspapers:  Proquest Newspapers.  Find additional sources of freely available  Library of Congress as well as this source for African American Newspapers from history.
  • NewsELA is a small database that is not maintained by the library. Find it linked in some Canvas Courses. Its features make it user-friendly for developing readers of English.

Reputable News sources* on the Internet, whose editorial boards represent a broad spectrum of views:

*Large successful and long-standing news agencies such as the following find journalists competing for their jobs. Professional journalists may be trained at schools of journalism like Columbia University, George Washington U, and their graduates adhere to high standards professed in the Journalist’s Code of Ethics.  Furthermore, scholars have worked to identify, measure, and rate various media sources for their bias here and their work is endorsed by the League of Women Voters.

Podcasts- download and listen, or view on your device

APS-provided iPads may presently have a News app that you can configure to show the topics you wish (it functions like a generalized RSS feed.)

Print – available in our library

  • Washington Post
  • The Week
  • Foreign Affairs
  • Scientific American
  • Wired
  • Juxtapose
  • Popular Mechanics
  • People en Espanol
  • Art in America
Front pages of major newspapers demonstrate varying headlines that demonstrate conservative versus liberal bias

Election Day results headlines suggest the possible bias across newspapers. Photo credit: Isaac Studley, H-B student.

Elections and Politics

Many thanks to Theresa Flynn (former Supervisor of Libraries in APS) for these contributions!  Note:  some of sites include significant bias. They are offered as support to lessons from Common Sense Media and Librarians in order to facilitate lessons that skill students to critically evaluate sources for bias, authenticity and the application of The Society of Journalists’ code of ethics.

Political Party sites:

Additional sites:
ALA’s “Great Websites for Kids” (lots on Government, little on the elections):  http://gws.ala.org/category/social-sciences/politics-government
Christian Science Monitor:  http://www.csmonitor.com/USA/Politics
Fact Check:  http://www.factcheck.org/
League of Women Voters:  http://lwv.org/
NPR:  http://www.npr.org/sections/politics/
PBS NewsHour (has educator materials):  http://www.pbs.org/newshour/topic/politics/ (PBS for students: http://www.pbs.org/newshour/extra/tag/politics/)
Politico:  http://www.politico.com/
Politifact:  http://www.politifact.com/
Real Clear Politics:  http://www.realclearpolitics.com/