Tips for analyzing news coverage
• Make sure you understand what type of article you are looking at. Is it a straight-news article by someone on the paper’s staff? Is it a straight-news article from a wire service or from another newspaper ? Is it an editorial? Is it an opinion column?
• Consider the placement and “play” of the article. If you are using ProQuest Historical Newspapers , you can see the placement by clicking on the tab that says Page View-PDF. If you are using ProQuest U.S. News stream, you will see the page number right under the headline .
• Consider the angle and emphasis. What information goes in the lead? To which topics does the article devote the most space? What issues does the article address ?
• Where did the journalist(s) writing this article get their information? Which sources get their quotes/points of view presented first/last? Does the article express skepticism about the information/quotes/statements? Does it express approval?
• Analyze the headline. Is it sensationalized? Boring? Does it seem more sympathetic to one side or another?
