Newspapers can be a great resource for private investigators, detectives, and genealogists. This article provides a list of newspapers and suggestions for using newspapers to conduct research for investigations.
What is a Newspaper?
Some people may not know what a newspaper is. Newspapers are printed publications that contain information and articles on current events, opinions and editorials, advertisements, and more.
With the rising popularity of the internet, some speculated that newspapers would become a thing of the past. However, billions of newspapers are printed in cities worldwide each year. Still, most people think of “online newspapers” as being the website for companies such as the Washington Post or the Wall Street Journal. In the United States, there are less than 1,000 active papers.
How can newspapers be used in investigations?
Newspapers can be useful in conducting investigations. While newspapers have faced significant challenges in recent years due to the rise of digital media, they still play a vital role in investigative journalism. Here’s how newspapers can be useful in investigations:
- Information gathering: Newspapers often have access to various sources and archives that can provide valuable investigation information. They employ investigative journalists who specialize in uncovering and reporting significant stories.
- Deep research: Newspapers have extensive research capabilities and resources, including access to databases, historical records, public documents, and other sources of information that can be crucial for investigations. They have the expertise and tools to dig deep into a subject matter and uncover relevant details.
- Network of contacts: Newspapers have established contacts that can assist with investigations. These contacts may include whistleblowers, industry experts, government officials, and others who can provide insider information or perspectives crucial for uncovering the truth.
- Fact-checking and verification: Newspapers have editorial teams responsible for fact-checking and verifying information before publication. This process ensures the investigative work is accurate and reliable, adding credibility to the findings.
- Public exposure: Newspapers have a wide readership, both in print and online, which allows investigative findings to reach a broad audience. Exposing issues through newspapers can raise public awareness, initiate public debate, and even prompt further investigations or action from authorities.
- Legal protections: Newspapers often have legal teams that can provide guidance and protection for investigative journalists. These teams are well-versed in media law and can help navigate legal challenges that may arise during the course of an investigation.
While newspapers face competition from other media sources, they continue to provide a valuable platform for in-depth investigative reporting and are an essential part of the media landscape when it comes to uncovering and reporting on important issues.
In addition, genealogists use old publications to locate family members and build a family tree. Since these publications feature stories about events and people, they are an excellent resource for piecing together a timeline of events, especially historical events.
List of Newspapers and Online Publications
Following is a list of significant U.S.-based papers. The industry is constantly changing due to mergers and acquisitions, so some companies on this list of newspapers and online publications may not exist.
- The Atlanta Journal-Constitution – Also known as the AJC, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution is a merger between two newspapers, The Atlanta Journal,
and the Atlanta Constitution. The Cox Media Group owns it. The Boston Globe – The Boston Globe was founded in 1872 and is based in Boston, Massachusetts. The Cleveland Plain Dealer The Chicago Sun-Times – The Chicago Sun-Times is owned by the Sun-Times Media Group and is based in Chicago, Illinois.- The Chicago Tribune – The Chicago Tribune was founded in 1847. It is owned by Tribune Publishing and is based in Chicago, Illinois.
- The Cincinnati Enquirer – The Cincinnati Enquirer is published by the Gannett Company in Cincinnati, Ohio.
- The Detroit Free Press –
- The Houston Chronicle –
- The Kansas City Star –
- The Los Angeles Times – The LA Times was founded in 1881 and is based in Los Angeles, California.
- The Miami Herald – The Miami Herald is owned by the McClatchy Company and is based in Doral, Florida.
- The Minneapolis Star-Tribune
- The New Orleans Times
- The New York Post – The New York Post is published in New York City, New York.
- The Richmond Times-Dispatch
- The New York Times – The New York Times, my second favorite newspaper (behind the Washington Post), was founded in 1851. It is based in New York City.
- The San Francisco Chronicle – The San Francisco Chronicle was founded in 1865 and was published in the San Francisco Bay area.
- The San Jose Mercury News –
- The Seattle Times –
- The Wall Street Journal –
- The Washington Post – The Washington Post, my favorite, is published in Washington, D.C. The paper is owned by Jeff Bezos, founder of Amazon.com.
List of Newspapers
The following regional list of newspapers may help investigate addresses, telephone numbers, and email addresses. Most are accessible for free, with additional services available for a subscription fee.
- Albany Times-Union
- Albuquerque Journal
- Alpha Complete
- American Banker
- Anderson Independent-Mail
- Asbury Park Press
- Atlanta Journal-Constitution
- Automatic News HREFs
- Baltimore Sun, The
- Bangor Daily News
- Baton Rouge Advocate
- Biloxi Sun Herald
- Benton Co. Daily Record
- Boulder Daily Camera
- Boston Herald, The
- Buffalo News
- Carlisle Sentinel
- Casper Star-Tribune
- Charleston Gazette
- Charleston Mail
- Chicago Daily Law Bulletin
- China News Digest
- Christian Science Monitor
- Cincinnati Enquirer
- CNN Interactive
- Courier, The
- Daily Sun
- Dallas Morning News
- Dayton Business Reporter
- Decatur Herald & Review
- Delaware County Times
- Delaware Gazette
- Denver Post
- Des Moines Register
- Detroit Free Press
- Detroit News
- Edmond Sun
- Electronic Recruiting News, The
- Electronic Telegraph
- Evansville Courier
- Fairbanks Daily News-Miner
- Federal Times
- Florida Times-Union, The
- Gainesville Sun
- Headlines -Reuters
- Houston Chronicle
- Investor’s Business Daily
- Jersey Journal, The
- Kansas City Star
- Keene Sentinel
- Kentucky Post
- Knoxville News-Sentinel
- Lake Charles American Press
- Lancaster Intelligencer Journal
- Laredo Times
- Las Vegas Sun
- Lawrence Journal-World
- La Crosse Tribune
- MSNBC
- Nashville Banner
- New Jersey Herald
- Newsletter, The
- News Tribune, The
- North Platte Telegraph
- New Haven Register
- New Mexican
- Newsday
- Odessa American
- Orange Co. Register
- Oregonian, The
- Orlando Sentinel
- Palm Beach Post
- Panama City News-Herald
- Pensacola News Journal
- Ponca City News
- Portland Press-Herald
- Press of Atlantic City, The
- Reporters Network, The
- Rocky Mountain News
- Sacramento Bee
- Salem Evening News
- Salt Lake Tribune
- San Angelo Standard-Times
- San Diego Union-Tribune
- San Francisco Chronicle
- San Francisco Examiner
- Santa Barbara News-Press
- Savannah News
- Scranton Times
- Seattle Post-Intelligencer
- Seattle Times
- Shawnee News-Star
- Sioux City Journal
- South Bend Tribune
- Syracuse Online
- Tacoma News Tribune
- Tallahassee Democrat
- Tampa Tribune
- Times-West Virginian
- Topeka Capital-Journal
- Tulsa World
- Vail Daily News
- Lincoln Journal Star
- Lubbock Avalanche-Journal
- Madison Leader
- Mail-Tribune
- Marietta Times
- Maui News
- Miami Herald
- West Hawaii Today
- Wichita Eagle
- Winona News
- Winston-Salem Journal
- Worcester Telegram & Gazette
- York Record
- The Boston Globe
- Deseret News (Salt Lake City UT)
- Financial Times (U.S. edition)
- The Guardian / The Observer (U.K.)
- Herald (Miami FL)
- Houston Chronicle Interactive
- Japan Times Online
- Journal-Constitution (Atlanta)
- The London Times
- The Los Angeles Times
- The New York Times on the Web
- PioneerPlanet (Minneapolis)
- Rocky Mountain News Online
- St. Petersburg Times (FL)
- The Salt Lake Tribune
- The Star (Kansas City)
- Star-Bulletin (Honolulu)
- StarTelegram (Dallas–Fort Worth)
- Tampa Tribune on the Web
- TimesFax (New York Times digest)
- Virginian-Pilot, The
Questions and Comments
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