Research Guides: HIST104: World History: Current Events

Finding Current Information

Critically Engage
Current Event Databases

Pause. Consider. Decide.

Though information- and misinformation- comes at us all day, everyday, there are concrete steps that you can take to build your expert toolkit, and know what to trust.

Cultivate a critical mindset about user-generated content, unfamiliar organizations, and content shared by recognized news sources, by practicing and developing the habits outlined in the News Literacy Project's 7 Steps.

How can you reconstruct the context of an online information source in order to make a solid judgment about its reliability? The SIFT framework by Mike Caulfield offers simple and empowering guidance.

Dig in to the reliability of the sources quoted or embedded within news stories themselves using the IMVAIN framework, developed by Stony Brook Center for News Literacy.

CQ Researcher This link opens in a new window
Comprehensive reporting and analysis on “hot topics” in the news. Each single-themed report is researched and written by a seasoned journalist, footnoted and professionally fact checked. (Coverage: 1923 --)
Ethnic NewsWatch This link opens in a new window
Full-text newspapers, magazines, and journals of the ethnic and minority press, providing access to often overlooked perspectives. Includes unique community publications not found in any other database, as well as top scholarly journals on ethnicities and ethnic studies. Nearly a quarter of the articles are presented in Spanish. Dozens of major Latino publications are featured, (Coverage: 1959 --)
The database also contains Ethnic NewsWatch: A History, which provides historical coverage of Native American, African American, and Hispanic American periodicals.

Ethnic NewsWatch™ comprehensively covers these ethnic categories:
- African American/Caribbean/African
- Arab/Middle Eastern
- Asian/Pacific Islander
- European/Eastern European
- Hispanic
- Jewish
- Native People
Global Newsstream This link opens in a new window
Recent global news content, as well as archives. Content from newspapers, newswires and news sites in full-text format. Provides large collections of news from the U.S., Canada, Europe, Africa, Asia, Latin America and Australia. (Coverage: 1980 --)
New York Times (NYTimes.com) This link opens in a new window
The New York Times Online includes the same articles and images that appear in the print edition plus additional resources including images, videos, audio, graphics and data. Crosswords not included. Content may also be accessed via the free New York Times app. Content not available via tablet. (Coverage: Limited access to 1923-1980; Full access from 1981 to the present).
New Subscribers: (have never had a personal or UDel account)
To create your new, free account, use this link: www.nytimes.com/activate-access/edu-access.
Existing New York Times Online Subscribers
Note: If you have an existing, paid NYT subscription, you must cancel it before you can activate the free UD Library provided subscription. You may cancel by emailing customercare@nytimes.com , connecting with a chat agent on the site, or calling 800-591-9233.
After cancelling your existing account:
- Go to www.accessnyt.com.
- Find your school name by selecting “University of Delaware” from the dropdown menu.
- Click “Already have an account? Log in here.”
- Input your udel.edu email address and the same password you created for your previous account.
- Select your status as “student” (enter your graduation date) or “faculty/staff.”
- Click “Continue” and you will be directed to www.nytimes.com.
Tips and Troubleshooting:
- Students will have access until they graduate.
- Faculty and staff must renew once every four years. Add your expiration date to your calendar; there will be no subsequent reminder.
- If you find that you no longer have access, it is most likely because your account has expired.
- After expiration, activate a new pass by visiting NYTimes.com/GroupPass .
- You may reset your NYT password any time here: nytimes.com/forgot
Nexis Uni This link opens in a new window
Full-text information from news, business, and legal sources, including U.S. Supreme Court decisions dating back to 1790. Though not required, you have the option to create a personal account that will give you access to special features such as alerts, saved searches, folders, history, annotations and more.
Vendor Lyrasis. Publisher LexisNexis.
ProQuest Recent Newspapers: U.S. Major Dailies This link opens in a new window
Wall Street Journal (wsj.com) This link opens in a new window
Digital edition of the Wall Street Journal. Includes the same articles and images that appear in the print edition, plus additional resources such as video, audio, graphics, and data. Available editions: U.S., Asia, Europe, India. (Coverage: 4 years ago --)
NOTE: You must login to your account once every 90 days in order for it to remain active.
Registration Instructions
*If you already have a personal membership to the WSJ, call 1-800-JOURNAL and to inform the WSJ that you are switching to the membership provided by the University of Delaware.*
- Step 1: Click on this link: http://wsj.com/udel. You will be prompted to login to the UD Central Authentication Service (CAS)
- Step 2: Fill out the form, then click Create. When you have completed the form and clicked Create. You will see “Redemption Successful.”
- Step 3: Check your email inbox for a confirmation receipt.
- Step 4: You are now a registered user of The Wall Street Journal Digital Edition. Access it anytime, anywhere at https://www.wsj.com/ by signing in with your email address and password.
Washington Post Online This link opens in a new window
Digital edition of The Washington Post. (Coverage: 2005 --)
Select earlier content is accessible, particularly investigative journalism content related to U.S. President Richard Nixon and Watergate dating back to 1968. Search features do not enable limiting to specific date ranges, so the extent of this content is unknown.
Washington Post articles and indexing are also available from:
- 1877 to 17 years ago in ProQuest Historical Newspapers: Washington Post
- 01/01/2008 to present in ProQuest Recent Newspapers: Washington Post

National Journal
The National Journal provides daily analysis on Hill procedures and updates. In the Race Tracker section, you can track election poll data and campaign finance information. In the Almanac section, you can find biographies on politicians. The National Journal is an immensely rich resource that is worth exploring if you are looking for information on Congress.