News & Newspaper Sources: Welcome

News & Newspapers at the UCSB Library

The UCSB Library provides a wide variety of digital news sources to UCSB students, staff, and faculty via individual accounts and database subscriptions. Many of the resources in this guide will require you to log in to your library account with your UCSB NetID and password. Depending on local network restrictions, you may need to log into the UCSB VPN if you are off-campus. 

To create your UCSB account for the New York Times, Washington Post, or Financial Times, please click on the Online Access tab and follow the instructions for each newspaper listed. You must have an active UCSB email address to complete your free registration.

Access to the Los Angeles Times is available by database and can be found via the US Major Dailies or direct link on the US News page.

The library's A-Z Databases list provides a more comprehensive listing of available newspaper resources. Use the "Types" dropdown menu to select "News & Newspapers."

You can also use UC Library Search to find news resources by refining your search results to “Newspaper Articles” under the Resource Type menu.

The UCSB Library does not carry current print subscriptions to any English-language newspapers or news magazines, but past issues of some popular news magazines like Time and New Statesman are available on the lower section of 1st floor, Ocean Side.

Media Bias

Media bias is an enduring aspect of global journalism and inherent to reporting the news. It is natural for humans, including professional journalists, to take sides on issues and to seek sources and share information that supports pre-existing beliefs, a phenomenon known as confirmation bias. This has only been amplified in the modern era of social media algorithms and filter bubbles.

The UCSB Library actively curates a collection of news resources that help users combat confirmation bias. However, it is up to you to seek opposing views and differing perspectives to improve your understanding of national and international events and to combat misinformation from all sides.

If you are unaware of a particular news source's political bias, media bias charts like this one from AllSides may provide a helpful perspective. Nevertheless, there will never be a perfect consensus on a news source's reliability and prejudices. For news and current events, read widely, investigate the ownership and authorship of your sources, and remain open to changing your mind. Fact-checking websites may also be a useful tool.

For balanced coverage of contentious topics, CQ Researcher offers a database that systematically presents opposing viewpoints on current affairs.

Fact Checkers

You can use reputable fact-checking websites to help determine the reliability of online information. These are some of the fact-checkers that have signed the IFCN Code of Principles. 

Google News

Here are some of the latest US news headlines via Google News, a news aggregator that provides a continuous flow of articles organized by current events or topics. Resources from a spectrum of media outlets are available under each bulleted news event, although some may be paywalled.