Searching for news items can sometimes be challenging. Despite the apparent ease of free online resources like Google News, there is a significant amount of news coverage (especially older or fee-based content) that is not freely available online, and which may be difficult to find. Although dozens of databases exist that contain news articles and transcripts—their content is often available only with a paid subscription, and they may be overwhelming if the user is not familiar with them. In addition, access to subscription news databases in congressional offices varies, depending on the congressional chamber, as well as the individual office or committee.
This fact sheet is designed to assist congressional offices with locating current and recent news articles and transcripts. It contains brief descriptions of Library of Congress news resources (available in the Congressional Research Service [CRS's] and other Library Reading Rooms), selected subscription news resources, broadcast news transcript resources, radio and television news resources, directories for online news sites, and contact information for further assistance. It also includes locations of where subscription databases can be accessed (e.g., House and Senate offices, House and Senate Libraries, CRS La Follette Reading Room); some House and Senate offices or committees may also subscribe to these or other paid databases.
This fact sheet does not include resources for searching historical (archival) news. For additional assistance, please contact CRS or the Library's Newspaper and Current Periodical Reading Room.
Most of these selected news databases are subscription only (not freely available online), and are available at the locations indicated.
Congressional Quarterly offers legislative and policy news, plus transcripts from federal agencies, the White House, television programs, and special or congressional events. Coverage of congressional and news transcripts goes back to the 104th Congress (1996).
CRS La Follette Reading Room, House Library and House offices (limited subscription), Senate offices
This database offers a large collection of digital business and news resources in 28 languages from most countries worldwide, including transcripts from many sources. Congressional staff may access the Library of Congress's subscription to Factiva in any reading room.
CRS La Follette Reading Room, Library of Congress Reading Rooms
This database offers a large collection of digital legal and news resources (local, regional, and national), along with news transcripts from several resources.
Senate offices (LexisNexis); CRS La Follette Reading Room, Library of Congress Reading Rooms (LexisNexis Library Express, a limited version of the full LexisNexis product)
This database displays the full-text, full-color editions of 2,000+ U.S. and international newspapers, for the past 90 days. This is an especially useful resource to see how a particular article or editorial appeared in the print edition.
CRS La Follette Reading Room, House Library, Senate Library, Library of Congress Reading Rooms
"Today's Front Pages" features more than 2,000 free front pages of newspapers around the globe.
A free online gateway to 10,000 newspapers from around the world. Pull-down menus link to the newspapers' home pages (from Web Wombat). Not all links have been maintained.
ProQuest offers search capabilities for hundreds of digital U.S. and international newspapers. Newspapers included vary, depending on the subscription.
CRS La Follette Reading Room, House offices, House Library, Senate offices, Library of Congress Reading Rooms
Available in all congressional offices, Proquest Congressional has a "political news and social media" section, which contains content from the Washington Post, Roll Call, and CQ political transcripts, along with government social media and web posts.
CRS La Follette Reading Room, House offices, House Library, Senate offices, Senate Library
Free transcripts from CNN programming are available, only for the past 10 days. Older transcripts may be found in LexisNexis or Factiva.
This database offers a large collection of digital business and news resources in 28 languages from most countries worldwide, including transcripts from many sources. Congressional staff may access the Library of Congress's subscription to Factiva in any reading room.
CRS La Follette Reading Room, Library of Congress Reading Rooms
This database offers a large collection of digital legal and news resources (local, regional, and national), along with news transcripts from several resources.
Senate offices (LexisNexis); CRS La Follette Reading Room, Library of Congress Reading Rooms (LexisNexis Library Express, a limited version of the full LexisNexis product)
Free transcripts back to 2005 are available for all NPR-produced programs: Morning Edition, All Things Considered, Talk of the Nation, Tell Me More, Weekend Edition Saturday and Sunday, and Weekends All Things Considered, as well as some programs produced by member stations: Fresh Air, Wait Wait Don't Tell Me, and Ask Me Another.
Selected free transcripts from PBS NewsHour, with a search feature.
Free text and video of speeches and remarks by the President, Vice President, First Lady, and members of the Administration.
Schedules for C-SPAN programming.
Links to selected videos of House and Senate proceedings, hearings, and news conferences.
Radio station search engine, with links to more than 15,000 (non-Internet) station websites in the United States and worldwide.
A subscription search engine for TV and radio that allows users to monitor, search and download clips for posting on websites and social networking services.
House Library
Summaries of network television evening news programs from late 1968 to the present. Loan copies (on DVD or VHS) of the complete broadcasts are available for shipping from the Vanderbilt Television News Archive, which operates this site. Some access to streaming video is also available for parts of the collection.
CRS La Follette Reading Room, Library of Congress Reading Rooms
For stand-alone subscriptions to the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Financial Times websites, or other publications, offices must subscribe directly.
This web page provides links to several current news resources LOC subscribes to, for both international and domestic news coverage. Most of these resources can only be accessed from LOC's La Follette Congressional Reading Room or another reading room.
The Library of Congress's Newspaper and Current Periodical Reading Room collects approximately 350 domestic and more than 1,000 foreign newspapers. The collection includes loose papers, microfilm, microprint, and bound volumes, so most of it is not available online. This collection is especially useful for finding older newspaper articles. CRS librarians are available to track down any archival or hard-to-find news articles.
Congressional staffers, who need help finding news items, CRS, House, and Senate reference librarians are excellent resources for further assistance.
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Madison LM-202 (La Follette Congressional Reading Room)
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138 Cannon House Office Building
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House staff can also chat directly with a librarian from the House Library Portal
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Russell Senate Office Building, SR-B15
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