LibGuides: English 273: Current Issues (Kim): Social Issues in the News

Tips for Researching with Journalism Sources

Be sure to write down the names of any experts as well as important people and organizations related to your topic to refine your research and gather more information. Google the names of these people and/or organizations to find out more about them. This is where Google is your friend.

If a particular study is discussed, see if you can find the original research or a good summary of it; Universities and other institutions will often post studies getting a lot of attention in the news or very good summaries of the research being reported on their web sites.

Remember, opinion pieces (op eds) and editorials and columnists want to persuade you to adopt their point of view. Be sure that you understand which parts of their pieces deal with facts and which parts are the author's opinions.

Magazines and News from the Web

The Atlantic
Excellent resource for in-depth coverage and analysis of social and political issues. The site includes links to articles from the monthly magazine as well as web-only content.
The New Yorker
Weekly magazine known for its in-depth exploration of cultural, economic, and political issues. Many articles are the product of months of research.
NPR (National Public Radio)
"In a time of media fragmentation and sound bites, NPR has succeeded by focusing on its core: in-depth, quality news."
ProPublica
"Journalism in the public interest." Includes topic pages for education, health care, immigration and criminal justice.

Think Tanks and Other Research Institutes

PRO TIP: Always look at the "About Us" page and the organization's mission statement to find out what a think tank's biases and goals are.

Non-partisan does *not* mean that that an organization does not have a political agenda; many do and some do not (notably, the Pew Research Center, which bills itself as a "fact tank" to highlight this difference).

Pew Research Center
"Pew Research Center is a nonpartisan fact tank that informs the public about the issues, attitudes and trends shaping America and the world. It conducts public opinion polling, demographic research, media content analysis and other empirical social science research. Pew Research Center does not take policy positions."

The Brookings Institution
Our mission is to conduct in-depth research that leads to new ideas for solving problems facing society at the local, national and global level.
RAND Corporation
The RAND Corporation is a research organization that develops solutions to public policy challenges to help make communities throughout the world safer and more secure, healthier and more prosperous.
The Hoover Institution
The Hoover Institution seeks to improve the human condition by advancing ideas that promote economic opportunity and prosperity, while securing and safeguarding peace for America and all mankind.
The Center for American Progress
The Center for American Progress is an independent nonpartisan policy institute that is dedicated to improving the lives of all Americans, through bold, progressive ideas, as well as strong leadership and concerted action.
The Cato Institute
The Cato Institute...is dedicated to the principles of individual liberty, limited government, free markets and peace.

Magazines and News from GBS Databases

US Major Daily Newspapers (from 1980)
ProQuest database that searches New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Washington Post, Chicago Tribune and Los Angeles Times.
ProQuest News, Magazines, and Journals
Includes all ProQuest databases. Thousands of resources.