Criteria for Reputable Newspapers
Reputable newspapers have the following characteristics:
- Cover serious topics, such as politics, economics, environment, education, etc.
- Have professional editors and journalists on staff
- Been published for a number of years
- Have professional-level design, grammar, and word usage
- Contain a preponderance of text over images
- Articles contain evidence or data to support claims
- Are indexed/abstracted in databases used in academics
Also remember these points about newspapers:
- Online newspapers can be just as reputable and reliable as print newspapers
- Newspapers contain different types of articles - research, editorial, opinion, column, report. Be sure to determine whether the article your are reading is stating fact or opinion
Tools for Evaluating Newspapers
The word "periodicals" includes both journals and newspapers. Here are some tools to help you determine the bias of periodicals, what type of review they have (peer or editor), how long they've been published, and more.
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Bias in PeriodicalsFind out the biases for a number of well-known journals and newspapers. A library guide from the Washington State University Libraries.
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Liberal, Conservative, Non-Partisan PeriodicalsA library guide from Pace University.
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Ulrich's periodicals directorySearch for a periodical title and find out whether it's peer-reviewed, how long it has been in publication, how many people subscribe to it, and more.
Reputable Newspapers
Not reputable:
National Enquirer
Daily Mirror
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