Subject Guides: Law: Newspapers & Current Affairs

Current affairs information

Depending on the nature of the topic or problem you are researching, you may want to find out how an issue has been reported in the popular press e.g. newspapers, current affairs magazines or news agency services.

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Print Newspapers

Printed newspapers are available on the first floor of the JB Morrell Library.

Nexis UK

Nexis This link opens in a new window
Nexis is a major source of global news and business information. It provides full-text access to over 34,000 publications, with more than 12,000 news sources including UK daily and regional newspapers, current affairs magazines, and professional journals. Updated daily; back issues archive varies by title.

Nexis also includes 80 sources of company information, plus thousands of biographies of government officials, politicians, celebrities, investors and business contacts.

Accessibility information

Nexis Advance UK is a major full text database for global news and business information. It gives access to over 35,000 sources, with more than 12,000 international news sources including UK daily and regional newspapers, current affairs magazines, and professional journals.

Individual newspaper titles

Daily Mirror Digital Archive, 1903 to present (UKpressonline) [accesible until 31st July 2023] This link opens in a new window
Access to the Daily Mirror Digital Archive via UKpressonline will end on 31st July 2023 because the vendor's contract to provide the Archive has been cancelled.

Permanent access is available via the Daily Mirror Historical Archive, 1903-2000.
A full text archive of the Daily Mirror from 1903 to the present. All issues are fully searchable with images of the original pages available to view and download in pdf format.
Financial Times (FT.com) This link opens in a new window
The first time you use FT.com you will need to register via the link above using your University of York email address.

After you have registered you can login direct at FT.com: Select Sign In > Enter your University of York email address > Click the SSO Sign in button > Login using your IT username and password.

You can login to FT.com from both on and off-campus including via your mobile device (see FT Apps & Mobile for details of the available apps).
FT.com gives online access to all the stories and features from the daily newspaper along with an FT ePaper which is a digital replica of different editions of the printed newspaper with an archive back to 2005.

Accessibility information

Financial Times Historical Archive, 1888-2010 This link opens in a new window
This fully-searchable facsimile edition of the FT offers the complete run of the London edition of the paper from its first issue onwards. Every individual article, advertisement and market listing is included and shown individually and in the context of the full page and issue of the day.

Accessibility information
Guardian, 1821-2003 and Observer, 1791-2003 (ProQuest) This link opens in a new window
The Guardian from 2004 onward is also available via YorSearch.
The Observer from 2004 onward is also available via YorSearch.
A full text archive of page and article facsimile images of the Guardian (1821 - 2003) and the Observer (1791 - 2003).

Accessibility information
Irish Times, 1859 onwards (excluding the most recent 2 years) and Weekly Irish Times, 1876 - 1958 (ProQuest) This link opens in a new window
The Irish Times current content is also available via YorSearch.
A full text archive of page and article facsimile images of The Irish Times (1859 onwards, excluding the most recent 2 years) and The Weekly Irish Times (1876 - 1958). Coverage includes The Times Pictorial.

Accessibility information
Times Digital Archive, 1785 - 2019 This link opens in a new window
A full-image archive of every page published by The Times (London) from 1785 until 2019. The text within the images is fully searchable at the article level.

For The Times from 2020 onwards see the entry: Times 1985 - present.

For help with this resource, take a look at our Quick Guide.

Accessibility information
Times 1985 - present (Nexis) This link opens in a new window
Gives access to the full-text of The Times from 1 July 1985 to the present.

For The Times 1785 - 2019 see the entry: Times Digital Archive, 1785 - 2019

Accessibility information

Historical newspaper collections

The following collections of historical newspapers are available online:

17th & 18th Century Burney Collection Newspapers This link opens in a new window
A digitised version of the newspapers, news-books, pamphlets, ephemera, and other early forms of newspapers from the Reverend Charles Burney Collection held at the British Library. The collection includes almost 1 million pages from around 1,270 titles and while the majority of these originate from London, there are also some English provincial, Irish and Scottish papers, and a few examples from the colonies.

Accessibility information
British Library Newspapers This link opens in a new window
Includes: Parts I & II (1800-1900); Part III (1741-1950); Part IV (1732-1950); Part V (1746-1950); Part VI (Ireland, 1797-1950) - Parts IV to VI are new to the University from February 2023.

Also known as: 19th Century British Newspapers
A major collection of almost 6.4 million facsimile pages from more than 240 national, regional, and local newspapers published between the 1700's and 1950. The collection includes both daily and weekly publications with titles from established country or university towns, the industrial towns of the Midlands and the North, and from Scotland, Ireland and Wales. Newspapers associated with particular political or social movements such as Reform, Chartism, and Home Rule have also been included along with penny papers aimed at a working class and clerical readership.

Accessibility information
American Historical Newspapers (ProQuest) This link opens in a new window
A collection of full text archives of American newspapers with page and article facsimile images. The University has access to: Atlanta Constitution; Atlanta Daily World; Chicago Defender; Chicago Tribune; New York Times; New York Tribune; Washington Post.

Accessibility information
Early American Newspapers, Series I-V, 1690-1922 (America's Historical Newspapers) This link opens in a new window
Early American Newspapers gives access to the full text of over 1200 newspaper titles from across the United States published between 1690 and 1922.