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Criminology & Policing

Newspapers

Newspapers and Media: Your Real-Time Window into Crime and Policing

While academic journals provide in-depth analysis, newspapers and media offer a real-time snapshot of crime, policing, and the criminal justice system. Here's why they're essential for criminology and policing students:

  • Stay Informed: Keep up with the latest crime trends, policing strategies, legal developments, and social issues that shape the criminal justice landscape. This helps you understand the context in which academic theories are applied.
  • Identify Emerging Issues: Get ahead of the curve by identifying new crime patterns, policing challenges, or social movements before they're covered in academic journals.
  • Investigate Real-World Cases: Access reporting on real crimes, court cases, and police responses, bridging the gap between theory and practice.
  • Gain Public Perspectives: Understand how crime and policing are perceived by the public through news coverage, opinion pieces, and social media discussions.
  • Research for Time-Sensitive Assignments: When you need information fast, newspapers and media are your go-to resources.

Remember, while valuable, always critically evaluate information from these sources. Consider their reputation, potential biases, and target audience to assess the credibility of the information presented. Additionally, be aware of the potential for sensationalism and oversimplification in media reporting.

 

Gale OneFile News: The primary newspaper resources available to you from the library. It contains just under 4,000 different publications from around the world, and it contains over 750 from the United Kingdom. It provides either archival or current access to its content—and sometimes both. You can access it from the Databases list on the Library homepage. Just search under 'G', and you will find it. Alternatively, click on the link above.

Students studying criminology or policing should consider reading the following global newspapers to gain a broader perspective on crime and justice issues:

United Kingdom:

  • The Guardian: Features extensive coverage of crime, social justice, and human rights issues, both domestically and internationally.
  • The Times: Provides comprehensive reporting on crime, legal affairs, and court cases, often with a focus on political and social implications.

United States:

  • The New York Times: Offers in-depth reporting on national and international crime trends, criminal justice reform, and policing practices.
  • The Washington Post: Provides comprehensive coverage of legal issues, court decisions, and policy debates related to crime and justice.

Other International Newspapers:

  • The Globe and Mail (Canada): Covers Canadian crime and justice issues, as well as international developments.
  • The Australian (Australia): Reports on crime and policing in Australia, with occasional coverage of international events.
  • Le Monde (France): Offers a European perspective on crime, justice, and social issues.
  • The Japan Times (Japan): Provides insights into crime and justice issues in Japan and East Asia.
  • Al Jazeera (Qatar): Covers crime and justice issues from a global perspective, often focusing on underreported regions and conflicts.

  • Mail & Guardian (South Africa): Often reports on transnational crime, human trafficking, and international justice issues, alongside its robust coverage of South African news.

Additional Tips:

  • Read local newspapers: Local newspapers often provide detailed coverage of crime in your community and local policing practices.
  • Consider international perspectives: Reading newspapers from different countries can provide a broader understanding of global crime trends and diverse approaches to criminal justice.

Historical Newspapers: Unearthing the Roots of Crime and Punishment

While contemporary news provides a snapshot of the present, historical newspapers offer a fascinating window into the past, shedding light on the evolution of crime, policing, and societal attitudes. Here's why they are invaluable for criminology and policing students:

  • Trace the Evolution of Crime: Explore how crime rates, types of offenses, and law enforcement responses have changed over time. This historical context helps you understand the roots of contemporary crime problems and evaluate the effectiveness of different strategies.
  • Understand Shifts in Policing: Examine how policing practices, technologies, and philosophies have evolved over the decades. Analyse historical accounts of police-community relations, controversial cases, and major reforms to gain a nuanced understanding of the challenges and opportunities facing law enforcement today.
  • Analyse Social Attitudes Towards Crime: Discover how public perceptions of crime, punishment, and the criminal justice system have shifted over time. This insight can inform current debates on issues such as sentencing reform, rehabilitation, and restorative justice.
  • Research Case Studies: Delve into detailed accounts of historical crimes, investigations, and legal proceedings. These case studies can provide valuable lessons for understanding criminal behaviour, investigative techniques, and the impact of the legal system on individuals and communities.
  • Examine Social and Political Context: Historical newspapers offer a glimpse into the broader social and political context in which crime and policing occurred. This can help you understand the influence of factors such as economic conditions, social movements, and political ideologies on crime rates and law enforcement practices.

Remember, historical newspapers offer a wealth of information, but it's important to approach them with a critical eye. Consider the potential biases of the time, the newspaper's political leanings, and the accuracy of reporting. By carefully evaluating historical sources, you can gain valuable insights into the past and apply them to contemporary issues in criminology and policing.

 

The library provides you with many different sources of historical newspapers that you can discover here and easily access digitally.

  • Gale 19th Century British Library Newspapers
    • This archive includes the archive of over 50 regional and national newspapers from the 19th century. Titles include Glasgow Herald, Manchester Times, and Northern Echo.
  • 19th Century UK Periodicals
    • This archive includes the archive of over 90 periodicals (magazines, journals, and some newspapers) from the 19th century. The collection covers many different titles that reveal life in the nineteenth century and which will be a valuable resources for exploring changing attitudes to life in the UK and the UK's developing society.
  • Burney Newspaper Collection
    • This archive includes the archive of over 1000 newspapers from the 17th and 18th centuries. It also includes Acts of Parliament, addresses, broadsides, pamphlets, and proclamations. Newspaper titles include Bath Chronicle, Calcutta Chronicle and General Advertiser, and Dublin Gazette.
  • The Times and The Telegraph Archives
    • The library provides a digital archive of The Telegraph from 1855-2016 and The Times from 1785-2019.