Finding an old newspaper story may take some digging around until you can locate it.
Old newspaper stories are often sought out for information on people, places and events that happened in the past. Though many articles have been archived via online article database websites, finding a specific story is not always as easy as performing a simple web query search. You must use a variety of approaches at times when trying to track down an article from the past.
Instructions
1. Write down all the information you know about the newspaper story. Include rough dates or years when the event or story occurred. Estimate if you are unsure about exact dates. Write down any other information about the story. Note the writer's name, the content or topic of the piece and the city where the story happened. Note the name of the newspaper itself if you know that information.
2. Go to the website of the newspaper if you know the publication's exact name. Check to see if the paper's website offers an archived online database of past stories. Contact the Newspaper Association of America to get the names and contact information for newspapers in the area where you are searching for the story. For example, if you are looking for a story that ran in a Chicago newspaper, ask the Newspaper Association of America for the names of all past and present newspapers that served the Greater Chicago area.
3. Find the contact information for the newspaper and compose a letter or email to them. Request a copy of the newspaper story and list in your letter all of the identifying information that you have. Ask for assistance in locating the story. Offer to pay for copy charges if the story is found and request reprints officially in the body of your letter.
4. Go to your local library. Search through the microfilm or computerized databases made available for searching through old newspapers. Make notes and lists as you go. Pay attention to which issues and dates were searched as you make your way through all available prints. Make copies of the article by following posted library instructions should you find the article.
