Newspapers are quite likely the least permanent type of article you will encounter. Why are they less permanent? Simply because newspapers are published daily, and the information contained in them can change daily. For example, if you were researching an event from recent history, for example health care reform. Newspaper reports on health care reform could differ from day to day or year to year. You might come across a newspaper article on health care reform written before actions were finalized. That is one danger of using newspaper articles for your papers.
Newspaper article characteristics:
- Where? - You can find newspapers everywhere (newsstands, book stores, grocery stores, etc.)
- Authors - Newspaper articles are written by journalists. Journalists generally attend college and earn an undergraduate degree in journalism. They are not experts in any field, other than writing newspaper articles. They write an article every day, depending on what their editor has required of them.
- Newspaper Article Title - Generally, newspaper article titles are short and catchy. They are titled to attract attention or be noticed while you walk past the stack of newspapers on the newsstand.
- Appearance - Cheap paper (newsprint) and ink that rubs off in your hands typifies the ephemeral nature of newspaper articles.
- Frequency - Daily. Newspaper stories can change from day to day, which is why you should exercise caution before you use a newspaper article for your paper.
- Advertising - Newspapers sell advertising space.
- Length of Articles - Newspaper articles are not particularly long, generally measured in inches of length and often in paragraphs. Remember, newspapers are written for the general public, they won't go in depth on their topics.
- Language - Newspapers are written in easy-to-understand language, avoiding jargon and technical terms. Remember, they are written for the general public.
- Sources - Newspapers seldom contain bibliographies. In fact, in most articles it isn't really clear how they learned what they wrote about beyond sometimes cryptic notes of "industry sources" or "unnamed White House officials."
- Purpose - Newspaper articles are trying to entertain the reader, sell a product (their own or their advertiser's), or promote a viewpoint.
