Research Guides: HIS213H5: A History of the Present: Sample E-Primary Sources

Documentaries

Q: Into the Storm (2021)
The docuseries explores the workings of QAnon, an online conspiracy led by the anonymous figure "Q." To discover Q’s true identity, the filmmaker embeds in a dark underworld populated by trolls, political operatives, and QAnon’s key figures. A rivalry brews between Jim and Ron Watkins - the secretive father/son duo who own and run 8chan - and its young founder, Fred Brennan, the team behind 8chan, where Q posts its cryptic messages. Following a string of mass shootings linked to his website, Fred goes on a warpath to end 8chan and Q. The film delves into how QAnon began, and explores the players behind it, as well as asking bigger questions about how free speech impacts society.
— Calm Before the Storm (March 21, 2021)
— Do You Believe In Coincidences? (March 21, 2021)
— Disinformation Is Real (March 28, 2021)
— Panic in D.C. (March 28, 2021)
— Game Over (April 4, 2021)
— The Storm (April 4, 2021)
After Truth: Disinformation and the Cost of Fake News (2020)
[HBO] In the age of social media, this eye-opening documentary examines the rising phenomenon of “fake news” in the U.S. and the impact that disinformation, conspiracy theories and false news stories have on the average citizen. The film focuses on several high-profile made-up news stories in recent years with real world consequences, including the infamous “Pizzagate” case, the disinformation campaigns that influenced the 2016 presidential election, the Jade Helm conspiracy, and others. Drawing from exclusive verite access and interviews with a variety of experts, as well as purveyors and targets of misinformation, the documentary sheds light on how post-truth culture has become an increasingly dangerous part of the global information environment.
Factory of Lies (2018)
Hundreds of young Russians are producing fake news from fake profiles. And the fake stories are spread in US and Europe, trying to impact the public opinion. But some brave Russian journalists are fighting back.

Newspapers

LibrarySearch ➤ ➤ Newspapers
How to Find Newspaper Articles in LibrarySearch
NOTE: Even when you see "No Online Access," click the title of the newspaper article. Contradictory to the message, you will see electronic options there.
Chronicling America: Historic American Newspapers
[Library of Congress] You can also use https://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/search/titles/.
America's historic newspaper pages from 1777–1963 are available.
The U.S. Newspaper Directory is also useful to find information about American newspapers published between 1690–present.

If you would like to see the list of newspapers that we have access to, visit United States ➤ ➤ Selected Historical Newspapers & Periodicals

Tabloid Newspapers

According to Sensationalism: Murder, Mayhem , Mudslinging, Scandals, and Disasters in 19th-Century Reporting, both the tabloid newspapers (and the press in general) and local news broadcasts undertake "[t]o capture and keep the attention of the largest audience possible" by entertaining, titillating, mesmerizing, and shocking the readers "at least within the limits of their own definitions of propriety" (Sachsman 2013. ix). Therefore, ongoing examples of "fake news" can be seen in the form of "tabloid journalism"; (Padmanabhan, et al. 2021. 236-237).

The Sun (The New York Sun)
— The Sun (1859 to July 2, 1916)
— The Sun and the New York Press (from July 3 to 30, 1916)
— The Sun (July 31, 1916 to January 31, 1920)
— The Sun and the New York Herald (February 1 to September 30, 1920)
— The Sun (2002 to 2008 via UTL)
— The Sun (Current)

★ When you search any official website like the ones below, use the site:URL technique to search a topic in a specific site. Various techniques are available at Google Search Help.

The National Enquirer: https://www.nationalenquirer.com
Weekly World News: https://books.google.ca/books (1981-2007) & https://weeklyworldnews.com (2009— )
the Sun: https://www.loc.gov/item/sn83030272/ (1833-1916)
New York Daily News: https://www.nydailynews.com/ ()

FYI: Newspaper Circulation Statistics

— Source: Press Gazette

Top 25 US newspapers by circulation: America's largest titles have lost 20% of print sales since Covid-19 hit (August 25, 2021)
Top 50 most popular news sites in the world: NYT and Mail Online only top ten sites to grow in August (October 3, 2022)
Top 25 US newspaper circulations: Print sales fall another 12% in 2022 (June 24, 2022)

Data above published by Press Gazette have been cited in scholarly publications, such as Constructing the Welfare State in the British Press: Boundaries and Metaphors in Political Discourse (2021).

— Source: The Future of Media Project, Harvard University

Index of US Mainstream Media Ownership (May 18, 2021)
Canadian Media Ownership Index (February 12, 2022)