Political Science Research Guide: News

Political Science often involves an assessment of present or recent events - meaning you will have to consult News items.

• The library provides access to several full-text newspaper databases. Coverage in them occurs over several years / decades.  Good for current or historical topics. 
   
• Use News sites if you want news from the last twenty four hours.  You can do so by:
  • Creating an RSS Feed from various News Sites and read updates as you are notified. To find use Google News or OnlineNewpapers.com
  • Watching events unfold in Parliament /  U.S. Federal Government, via Video Feeds from C-PAC and C-Span
  • Reading News Blogs  - or watch News Analysis Shows
  • Visiting the online site of major News Broadcasters
     
• Try consulting a News magazine  which contain more of an analysis of an issue as they only come out once every week.
   
• Finally, if you just need a break from it all, try reading Satirical New Sites - comedy's release from political insanity.

News magazines provide a more in depth coverage of current events - typically coming out Weekly - instead of Daily - so there has been time to gather more information about an ongoing event.  Many Political Magazines are now either available via the Library's Full-Text Databases, or available for Free online.  Some of the more commonly used resources include:

• Canadian Reference Centre 
  CRC searches Canadian Journals and Canadian Magazines - like Macleans.  You can either search and limit your search to Magazines, or Browse specific magazines via this Database.
   
• EBSCOhost Academic Search Premier
  This database operates much like CPI-Q, however, most of its News Magazines will be U.S. in focus.
   
• News and Political Magazines
  Provides Links to several online Magazines dealing with Politics.

If you wish to get your news from a Broadcaster, check out one of the web sites for the major news broadcasters.  They include:

• CBC: Canadian Broadcasting Corporation
  CBC is a National Broadcasting Agency with a mandate to cover news across the country. Listen to any number of podcasts, watch streaming shows or listen to its wide array of streaming music radio stations with a wide variety of music styles to select from.
   
• CTV: Canadian Television Network
  Privately owned Canadian Network with coverage of Canadian News.
   
• Reuters Canada
  Subdivision of Thompson Reuters Media and Business News Service.
   
• CNN
  American News Channel which also covers International events.
   
• BBC
  With reporters around the Globe, no broadcaster covers International News like BBC.
   
• Al Jazerra
  Middle Eastern News agency that covers regional and global news. Provides students with a Middle Eastern Perspective on the News.
   
• PBS Newshour
  PBS' nightly National News program with in-depth stories of events in the United States.
   
• NPR News
  NPR delivers breaking national and world news. Also top stories from business, politics, health, science, technology, music, arts and culture. It also has several Podcasts.
   

Sometimes reading all of the dark things in the news can be depressing and you may need a break from it.  For fun, visit sites that spoof the news - - but do not cite them in your papers unless you are writing about the Fake News!  And stay away from Hoax sites whose sole purpose is to be misleading.  Most well known and spoof sites are:

Canada

• This Hour has 22 Minuits
  Spoofs everything from politics to Canadian Society.  Must see classsics:  Marg Princess Warrior, Dakey Dunn, Babe Benntt, Miss Enid and Talking to Americans.  
   
• The Beaverton

The Beaverton “files fictional stories of the utmost importance, informed by real events, the cultural zeitgeist, and national news media. Using a “fake news” platform The Beaverton offers devastating insight and biting commentary on Canadian life, politics, and the world”
 

• Walking Eagle News 
  Tim Fontaine is the Founder, Editor-in-Grand-Chief and Head Writer. He started Walking Eagle News as a means of setting his illustrious journalism career on fire and dancing in its ashes.
   

United States

• The Daily Show 
  Jon Stewart has made it his business to hold the media to a higher standard by pointing out the ludicrous nature of politics and news coverage of politics. His successors brings their own take to covering news and news organizations.
   
• Last Week Tonight with John Oliver 
  Take no Prisoners! should be the show's motto given  the humour and analysis in each episode.  American politics seen through the eyes of a British Comedian!
   

• The Borowitz Report
  The headlines that most reporters wish they could only print!
   
• The Onion
  These people spend all week thinking up great headlines and stories.  They never let facts or reality get in the way of a good story.
   
• The Patiche Post
  “This website is satirical in scope and intent. It provides fake news and social criticism in a satirical setting. If this offends you, you might want to consider doing something else with your time rather than looking at the Internet. Really, the quality of your life will improve dramatically.”
   

Ireland (just because Irish humor is so good!)

• Waterford Whisperer News
  Irish satirical news website run by Colm Williamson and based in Tramore, County Waterford, Ireland. The site has been called Ireland's answer to U.S. satirical media company, The Onion, and has been the source of several satirical articles that gained international notability.

England

• Spitting Image
  A show here politicians are literally puppets!  See via YouTube.
   
• The Daily Mash 
  Publication has garnered praise for its absurd, scatological humour and insightful political satire. The current editor is comedy writer and former BBC journalist Tim Telling

Australia 

• The Chaser:  “Striving for Mediocrity in a World of Excellence”
  In a world turned upside down, why not get some comedic news from “Down Under”?
   

New Zealand 

• The Civilian:  “All the news that’s fit on a page”
  Started in 2013 by Ben Uffindell, who finished a degree in political science at University of Canterbury in 2012.  It has been compared to tThe Onion

The following Databases contain full-text news articles in them. They can be easily accessed from home by entering your Brandon Username and Password when prompted to do so.

Current Newpaper Databases

• Canadian Newsstand: Major Dailies
  This full-text database provides indexing to the top Newspapers in Canada.  Among the 18 titles are The Globe and Mail, National Post, Montreal Gazette, Ottawa Citizen, Toronto Star, Regina Leader Post, Edmonton Journal, Vancouver Sun and the Winnipeg Free Press.
   
• Nexis Uni Politics

Significant collection of news stories including links to legal news, national and I nternational newspapers, blog posts.

• EBSSOhost Newspaper Source Plus
  Collection of Newspapers from around the Globe.  All are Full-Text
   
• New York Times
  Provide searching to its complete back archive as well as full-text access to Newspaper articles from 1987-Present and from 1851-1922.
   
• Brandon Sun
   

Historical Newspaper Databases: Canada

• Alberta Heritage Digitization Project
  Indexes Alberta Newspapers from 1885-2001 and provides the Full-Text to them.  
   
• British Columbia Historical Newspapers
  Digitized collection of Newpapers in British Columbia from 1865-1930
   
• Globe and Mail / Canada's Heritage (Click on Link on Next Page)
  Full-Text to the Globe and Mail starting with 1844-present times.
   
• Independent Voices 

​​Independent Voices is an open access digital collection of alternative press newspapers, magazines and journals, drawn from the special collections of participating libraries. These periodicals were produced by feminists, dissident GIs, campus radicals, Native Americans, anti-war activists, Black Power advocates, Hispanics, LGBT activists, the extreme right-wing press and alternative literary magazines during the latter half of the 20th century.

• Library and Archives Canada Newspaper Collection

​Library and Archives Canada's collection of Canadian newspapers is the most extensive in the country. It includes newspapers in original newsprint as well as on microfilm, microfiche and digital formats. The collection contains a wide variety of titles including community, regional, ethnic, Indigenous and student newspapers. The Halifax Gazette, Canada's first newspaper; the Canada Gazette, the official newspaper of the Government of Canada; and The Provincial Freeman, an antislavery newspaper, are just a few examples.

• Manitobia
  Indexes early Newspapers in Manitoba and provides the Full-Text to them.  Coverage varies by title but ranges from 1859-1919.
   
• Our Ontario Newpapers
  Search Community Newpapers from across Ontario spanning the period of 200 years.  Is not full-text.
   
• Saskatchewan News Index
  Indexes Saskatchewan Newspapers from 1884-2000. 
   

Historical Newspapers: World

• British Newspapers 1600-1900.
  Full-Text Collection of Historical Newspapers from the United Kingdom and the British Colonies.
   
• Eighteenth Century Journals: A Portal to Newspapers and Periodicals 1685-1815
  Full-Text Collection of Historical Newspapers from the United Kingdom.  Most are for England.

Canada

• The House
  CBC's Weekly broadcast - available in audio - covers political events and interviews political newsmakers.
   
• Power &  Politics  with Rosemary Barton
  Provides an in-depth look at that intersection point where politicians, policy, and power meet the people who are affected. Evan will take you through the day's political news, offering a daily topical discussion of key issues affecting Canadians.

United States

• Washington Week
  PBS program offering Weekly analysis of events in U.S. Politics.

Ah, what would politics today be without blogs?

While they may not be a source your professor prefers you cite, they often are quick to report new events as well as post editorials and post discussions.    

When it comes to a blog about politics and polls, it is hard to beat Five Thirty Eight for American politics and 338 Canada  for Canadian politics.

More broadly for a listing of political blogs check out:

• Top 35 Canadian Political Blogs and Websites To Follow in 2020 
• Top 100 Political Blogs, Websites & Influencers in 2020

Of note for International Relations is:

• GwynneDyer.com
  With A PhD in History, and a long history writing on International Affairs, Mr. Dyer provides insightful analysis of International Events.  As he is a syndicated columnist, his articles can also be found in the library's Newspaper Databases.  
    
• Foreign Policy Blogs

Foreign Policy Blogs is a network of global affairs blogs and a supplement to the Foreign Policy Association’s Great Decisions program. Staffed by professional contributors from the worlds of journalism, academia, business, non-profits and think tanks, the FPB network tracks global developments on many topics of interest, daily.

• Politico Europe

Closely follows international politics and current events. 

For a good analysis of what differentiates news found via Social Media site (like Blogs, Twitter, and YouTube) from more traditional news outlets (Newspapers and Television News) check out a this new report done by Pew for Journalism.Org. It talks about the strengths and weaknesses of each source.

If you are a student or faculty member at Brandon University, you can access any Newspaper Database from off campus.

If you are accessing the library's web site from off campus, most links on the library's web site will first take you to the Proxy Authentication Page, where you can log in with your Brandon University username and password. Once you have logged in, you will be taken to the destination of the link. You should only have to log in once per session.

To log in, you will need your Brandon University username and password - the same username and password you use to log into the Brandon University network when you're on campus. If you have not claimed your username and password or you are having trouble logging in with those, you should contact the Brandon University Help Desk (Phone 571-8500 Monday -Friday 8:30AM to 4:30PM).

For more information, see the Off-Campus Access Page