Web Search and News Tools > 4: News Sources
4A: Web News Resources
You may be looking for information on a "hot topic," one that is in the news
frequently (like gun control). Or perhaps you want to keep up with news in
your chosen field. Using a large Web search engine (like AltaVista, HotBot,
etc.) to find news stories can be problematic in two ways. First, while
the search engine may provide a special section with links to current
news on your topic, these will be limited and will not provide much depth.
Secondly, looking through the results in the longer list of items retrieved
is like trying to find a needle in a haystack. Instead, use a specialized
news-only Web database to focus your search. These databases index
a wide variety of news sites and sources.
AllTheWeb: News Search
This news search is highly rated by many, its best feature
being its currency. News stories that are only 10-15 minutes old can be
found by this search engine. It is possible to limit searches by language,
type of news publication, or date and time that stories were indexed.
It is not clear how long stories are archived.
Yahoo! News
Provides current
videos, pictures and news stories from newswire services (Reuters and Associated Press) and archives
them for two weeks. News from other providers (like ZDNet, E!Online and
ABCNews.com) is retained for one month. Here's a
news help page
that explains the features and content. Select the Advanced option next to the search box to be able to specify dates,
publications and more.
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4B: Library News Databases
Library news databases (those the library pays for so you have access to them) provide access to current news
stories, but they also offer more:
- depth of coverage (stories come from a much wider array of sources)
- advanced searching features (so you can fine-tune your search more precisely)
- archival information (find stories that are 1, 5, or even 20 years old)
LexisNexis Academic
A news database available through library subscription which provides access to thousands of national and international
newspapers, transcripts, and press releases dating back 20 years or more. Connect to LexisNexis Academic and explore the
various areas of this resource.
NOTE: Access is restricted. You will be prompted to authenticate with an OSU
username.number if you are accessing from off-campus.
Video tutorials
provide an overview of navigating this large and complex resource.
A
Easy Search is the least complicated search interface and an easy place to
start for most topics. Selecting this option will allow you to search the general database (news and other items).
Power Search allow you to customize your search to a fine
degree. By selecting the News segment (select News from the top red menu bar) the search
interface will change to this mode. News
provides full-text of stories from hundreds of large U.S. daily newspapers,
regional and local papers, international sources, wire services, transcripts
of television and radio broadcast news programs and specialty papers.
The "Terms and Connectors" option allows the most customization of a search. (See screen image to the right.) With this
option it is possible to specify a variety of conditions to a search, such as keywords, specific publications, where terms are found,
and how often they occur.
4C: Specialty News Sites
If you want to follow news stories on particular topics of academic or personal interest, there are several good options
available.
Google News
Use this news service to find older, archived news stories and view
them in a timeline. You can also customize how the daily news is presented and save this layout.
New York Times Email
Service
Receive customized daily headlines from the New York Times. You can select to receive
from any or all of the following categories: International, National, Business, Technology, Politics, Sports,
Arts, OpEd, or New York Region. The email includes abstracts of the articles and links to the full version.
Rocketinfo
A search engine for business and breaking news. This search index updates links by the minute, not by the day,
so news is available immediately. A link is provided to turn your search into an RSS feed for continual and automatic
updating if you wish.
Yahoo: Business: News and Media
This is an example of how you can use a large directory like Yahoo! to find specialized news publications
on a topic, such as business. The "News and Media" sub-category is available for most of the major topical
areas in Yahoo!
Activity
In the Yahoo! News type: Harry Potter
(make sure that "All news" is selected) and click search. Review the results. Note that videos, photos and news stories are all
part of the results.
Next go to
LexisNexis Academic to try a news search.
- Select News from the red navigation bar
- In the first search box, type: Harry Potter
- In the Select sources section, pull down the menu and select Book, movie, music, play, and video reviews
- In the Specify date section, select previous year
- Click on the SEARCH button
When reviewing the results of this search, note that you can select particular citations (by checking the box
next to an entry), then choose the
E-Mail Documents icon at the top of the results page to send these results to yourself
(or someone else). When viewing full text of an article, you can also choose the E-Mail option.
[Links open in new browser window.]
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