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Legal Research for Non-Law Students: Newspaper articles

A guide for undertaking law-related research in the social sciences and related disciplines.

Newspaper articles

Newspaper articles can be a good source of up-to-date information on virtually any topic and are often considered to be primary sources since they are often the first published account of an event. 

For tips on the search process for newspapers, see the Newspapers Research Guide.

A note about legal journalism:

As you research, it may be useful to note the names of journalists who write on legal topics, and search for their work within the newspapers they write for.

Keep in mind that journalists are usually not legal experts, and occasionally make mistakes about the law, which are not always caught by a newspaper editor. 

Newspaper articles can be excellent reflections of how the public views current events involving legal issues, but should not be relied on to be accurate statements of the law. Always double check against a trusted source like a scholarly book, encyclopedia, or public legal resource.

Newspaper articles - Canada

Newspaper articles - international

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