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Newspapers & statistics: Newspapers

bundled newspaper stack

Newspapers as a source of information

Newspapers can be a valuable source of information for finding out about key events, people and places. They:

  • Record an event or issue close to when it happened, as well as its development
  • Capture the reactions of people to an event, including eyewitness accounts
  • Provide multiple perspectives of public opinion
  • Provide editorial perspectives, and social and political commentary on news and events
  • Allow issues to be explored in the context of their time (what else was going on in the world at the same time, and what were people’s lives like?)

Get into the habit!

young woman reading paper over breakfast

Photo by LUM3N on Unsplash

Reading newspapers, whether in print or online, is an excellent habit to get into.

Newspapers will summarise current topics in politics, economics, sports, and arts and entertainment. They provide information to increase your general knowledge, upon which you can develop your own opinions and ideas. 

Online access to newspapers

The Library's subscription to the Access Australia database provides online access to a range of local, state and national newspapers including:

For any newspaper title, you can view individual issues, including the current day's paper, or search for articles across a date range. You can also search for articles on a topic across different newspaper titles and dates.

Newspaper article formats

A newspaper may be available in several formats though Access Australia, for example, plain text or image (a full colour PDF of the print version). For some newspapers, articles that appeared in their web edition may also be available as plain text. 

Articles can be emailed, printed or downloaded or added to a personal folder that you create. You can also crop images, e.g. to extract a cartoon. 

Search alerts

You can also create a search alert which will trigger an email notification to you when new articles that match your search are added to the database. This is highly recommended if you have a particular area of interest (e.g., your favourite football team!) or want to track a current issue as it unfolds or evolves over time - perfect for English media analysis tasks!  

 

 

Print newspapers in the Library

The Library also receives the following print editions of newspapers:

  • The Australian
  • Herald Sun
  • The Courier (Mon-Fri)

Back issues of newspapers are kept from Sept 1 of the previous year. Older issues are available online - please ask the Library staff for assistance. 

Need help? Email the Library