Unit 3 Newspapers Evaluation Guide

Scope	Does the article cover the topic? How much of the topic is covered?	read summaries in newspaper indexes if available scan captions & subheadings in article read topic sentences
Currency	Is information up to date enough for the topic chosen or do you need a current perspective on a historical event?	check date and dateline of news article for currency
Immediacy	Do you need a contemporary (of that time) view of news "while it is happening", such as a first person account of an earthquake?	check site updated time check date and dateline of news article
Completeness of information	Is there enough background information provided for you to understand the article?	use additional sources to fill in gaps in your knowledge go to a broader source such as an encyclopedia
Purpose for writing	What is the bias/perspective?	determine type of article (editorial, news report, letter or opinion of a columnist)
Authority/reliability	Is the information reliable?	check authors credentials in biographical sources