Research Guides: Finding Newspaper Resources: Alternative Newspapers

Accessing Alternative Newspapers

Race and Ethnic Group Newspapers

Online (Archive)
Microfilm

Chicago Defender (1910-1975) This link opens in a new window
Leading newspaper of the black community.
The newspaper was a proponent of The Great Migration, the move of over 1.5 million African-Americans from the segregated South to the industrial North from 1915 to 1925. It reported on the Red Summer race riots of 1919, and editorialized for anti-lynching legislation and the integration of blacks into the U.S. military.
Ethnic NewsWatch This link opens in a new window
Articles, editorials, and reviews published in approximately 200 ethnic and minority newspapers, magazines and journals published in the U.S, dating back to the mid-1990s.
Searchable in both English and Spanish.
Hispanic American Newspapers, 1808-1980 This link opens in a new window
Newspapers published between 1808 and 1980 that chronicle the daily life, cultural heritage and world views of Hispanic communities in the U.S.
Features Spanish-language newspapers and titles published bilingually in Spanish and English.
Independent Voices This link opens in a new window
Independent Voices is a digital collection of alternative press newspapers, magazines and journals, drawn from the special collections of participating libraries. These periodicals were produced by feminists, dissident GIs, campus radicals, Native Americans, anti-war activists, Black Power advocates, Hispanics, LGBT activists, the extreme right-wing press and alternative literary magazines during the latter half of the 20th century.

Black Press Research Collective
Black Press Research Collective (BPRC) is an interdisciplinary group of scholars committed to generating digital scholarship about the historical and contemporary role of black newspapers in Africa and the African Diasporas.

Japanese Detention Camp Newspapers

MICROFILM AP 2 .J36 (22 reels)
This collection includes newspapers published in the Japanese internment camps in Colorado, Arkansas, Idaho, Wyoming, California, Arizona, and Utah during the second world war.

Our microfilm collection also contains a number of African-American newspapers:

Denver. COLORADO STATESMAN. Jan 3, 1941 - Aug 11, 1945.
New York. THE COLORED AMERICAN. Mar 14, 1840 - Mar 13, 1841.
New York. FREEDOMS JOURNAL. Mar 16, 1827 - Mar 28, 1829.
Pittsburgh. THE PITTSBURGH COURIER. Mar 24, 1911 - Dec 27, 1912, Jan 13, 1923-Dec 2002.
Portland. THE ADVOCATE. May 5, 1923 - Dec 2, 1933.
Portland. CLARION DEFENDER. Dec 16, 1965 - Oct 15, 1970.
Portland. NEW AGE. Nov 25, 1899 - Apr 20, 1907.
Portland. NORTHWEST CLARION. Dec 7, 1956 - May 30, 1957.
Portland. NORTHWEST DEFENDER. Jan 25, 1962 - Sep 22, 1965 (gaps).
Portland. OBSERVER.
- PORTLAND OBSERVER 1938-1939.
- PEOPLE'S OBSERVER 1943-1945.
- OBSERVER 1945-1950.
- PORTLAND OBSERVER 1970+.
Portland. THE SKANNER. Oct 9, 1975+
Portland. THE TIMES. Nov 25, 1911 - Nov 1, 1912.

Akwesasne Notes (MICROFILM E75.A34 v.8-v.11 1976-1979 and MICROFICHE E75.A34 v.16 no.1 1984-v.23 no.3 1992.) "Official publication of the Mohawk Nation at Akwesasne (People of the Longhouse) and contains Longhouse News, the official publication of the Mohawk Nation at Kanawake."

LGBTQ Newspapers

Online (Archive)

Archives of sexuality & gender This link opens in a new window
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Primary source documents from major international activist organizations and local grassroots organizations providing information on social, political, health and legal issues impacting LGBTQ communities. Includes often-excluded groups, even within the LGBTQ community, and enables users to draw new connections across the development of LGBTQ culture and activism.
Independent Voices This link opens in a new window
Independent Voices is a digital collection of alternative press newspapers, magazines and journals, drawn from the special collections of participating libraries. These periodicals were produced by feminists, dissident GIs, campus radicals, Native Americans, anti-war activists, Black Power advocates, Hispanics, LGBT activists, the extreme right-wing press and alternative literary magazines during the latter half of the 20th century.
LGBT+ source This link opens in a new window
Covers the world's literature regarding Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, Transgender and Transsexual issues.
Comprehensive coverage includes traditional academic, lifestyle, and regional publications, as well as non-periodical content such as non-fiction books, bibliographies and dissertations. Disciplines include athletics, health, law, sociology, family, religion, civil liberties, employment and entertainment.

Other Communities

Independent Voices This link opens in a new window
Independent Voices is a digital collection of alternative press newspapers, magazines and journals, drawn from the special collections of participating libraries. These periodicals were produced by feminists, dissident GIs, campus radicals, Native Americans, anti-war activists, Black Power advocates, Hispanics, LGBT activists, the extreme right-wing press and alternative literary magazines during the latter half of the 20th century.

Underground Newspapers

This microfilm collection includes "alternative" papers published between 1965 and 1971; over 460 papers are represented. The index lists underground papers alphabetically by title, giving microfilm reel number(s), city and state, and year(s) of publication. All issues of a title for a given year appear on a single reel together. The collection is located in the Microforms section of Knight Library, under "U" for Underground (as if "Underground" were a city).

Alternative Press Index This link opens in a new window
Provides indexing for over 200 alternative and radical publications. Indexes journals covering cultural, economic, political & social change. 1969 to present.

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Journalism and Communication Librarian

Talia Paz

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Subjects: Journalism & Communication, News