When you search the library's periodical databases, most articles in your results are either from a newspaper, magazine, or journal.

A magazine article is a great source for your Background Essay. Why? Most magazine articles are written by journalists for a general adult audience. They tend to be longer and more substantive than newspaper articles, but more accessible than scholarly articles.

Image: Inquisitr.com. Dec. 19 2011. Web. Jan. 2012.

Newspaper articles inform us daily about current events, issues, and opinion. Read newspaper articles to learn about current and past international, national and local issues. 

Use ProQuest to search for magazine and newspaper articles for your essay.

Focus on the alternative press with the database Alt Press Watch.

Tip: Limit your search to only magazine articles or only news articles by clicking the "More Search Options" tab near the bottom of the screen and selecting by "Publication Type."

Here's a list of magazines that are great places to look for your article. With each, I have included a link to the database(s) you can use to search for articles in these magazines:

• The Atlantic Monthly: library periodical collection (2nd floor), Access the database here or go to the magazine's online archive. 
• Economist: library periodical collection (2nd floor),  Access the database here
• Harper's Magazine: library periodical collection (2nd floor), Access the database here or go to the magazine's online archive
• Mother Jones: library periodical collection (2nd floor), Access the database here
• Newsweek: library periodical collection (2nd floor), Access the database here, or go to the magazine's online archive
• The New Yorker: library periodical collection (2nd floor), Access the database here or go to the magazine's online archive
• Time: library periodical collection (2nd floor), Access the database here, or go to the magazine's online archive
• New Mobility magazine is an online magazine
• Ragged Edge is an online magazine, blog and news compiler

You may read these newspapers in print at Holman Library:

• The Seattle Times
• The Enumclaw Courier-Herald
• The News-Tribune
• The Wall Street Journal

Many newspapers offer digital access to some or all of their content for free. Here is a sampling of a few online newspapers.

• The New York Times
• The Columbian
• The Seattle Times
• Inclusion Daily Express

For more on newspapers, you can link to the Holman Library Newspaper Subject Guide.