Why Use Newspapers?
Newspaper articles can provide a useful source of information, serving as a primary source of information about historical and current events. Some of the benefits of using newspaper articles as primary sources include:
- Providing daily, current up to the day reporting.
- Reporting on local and regional as well as national 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.
Because newspapers also contain commentaries or retrospective articles about events, they can also serve as a secondary source.
Whether used as a primary or a secondary source, newspapers can provide a valuable research tool.
