Newspapers  Tags: newspapers articles how-to  

1. Introduction
2. Online Sources
3. Microform Sources
4. Reference Sources
5. Other Libraries
6. Learn More

This page covers serial publications of the non-mainstream media, often referred to as alternative or underground press publications, which include newspapers, magazines, newsletters, and other types of serial publications. These periodicals tend to be written from an acknowledged political perspective--for example, liberal or conservative--and they often promote a specific agenda. They might, however, report on news that is of interest to a specific community--often a marginalized one--without endorsing any defined ideology. Examples of these might be African American newspapers, gay and lesbian magazines, military newspapers, or publications of immigrant groups.

This section covers primarily alternative press publications of the United States, with some coverage of Canada and the United Kingdom.

For the most complete and up-to-date information on finding newspapers, whether current or historical, please visit the other sections of this guide. 

The online newspapers listed here should not be confused with the freely-available content you would find on a newspaper website, like http://www.chicagodefender.com/. The collections below contain digitized versions of the original print editions.

ProQuest Historical Newspapers.

Includes 5 major African American newspapers: Atlanta Daily World (1931-203), Los Angeles Sentinel (1934-2005), New York Amsterdam News (1922-1993), Pittsburgh Courier (1911-2002), and the Chicago Defender (1910-1975).

Ethnic NewsWatch

Coverage: 1960-present. 200 newspapers and journals of the ethnic, minority, and native press. More information.

Gender Watch

Coverage: 1970-present. Articles on women's issues, gender, and sexuality. More information.

Alt-Press Watch

Coverage: 1970-present; mostly United States. Over 670,000 articles from 200 alternative press titles, predominantly news weeklies. More information..

Chicago Foreign Language Press Survey

Translations into English of selected news articles from the Chicago area foreign language press, published originally between 1861 and 1938.

The University Library has hundreds of newspapers on microfilm, with coverage back to 1960 and earlier. The best way to check for availability of specific titles, or to browse by date and place of publication, is to consult the Library's Newspaper Database.

In this section: indexes, bibliographies, union lists, handbooks, guides, and directories. 

INTRODUCTORY

Carpenter, Gerald. "Alternative Press." The St. James Encyclopedia of Popular Culture. Eds. Sara Pendergast and Tom Pendergast. Detroit: St. James Press, 2000. 60-62.

RELATED

Barlow, Aaron. "The Rise of the Blogosphere: Alternative Journalism." The Rise of the Blogosphere. Westport, Conn.: Praeger Publishers, 2007.

Halleck, DeeDee. "Alternative Media in the United States." Battleground: The Media. Eds. Robin Andersen and Jonathan Gray. Westport, Conn.: Greenwood Press, 2008.