Wikinews:Research Desk

Welcome to the Research Desk

Thursday 4 March 2021 16:48 UTC, English Wikinews has written 21,895 articles Other Wikinews Resources: Style guide Cite sources Content guide Audio Wikinews Shortcut: WN:Research WN:RD Who died and left you to write about it? The first is a good question; the answer to the second is: we did. The Wikinews Research Desk aims to be the Original Reporter's best sidekick. It can also be a place to start; to peruse and check out the press releases of influential organizations. Why do they think it is important the public knows that information, and how have people responded to it? Or look for something light to write! For instance: What were the top grossing films last month? Did the takings run-counter to serious reviews? BoxOffice Mojo's numbers are used by many major media outlets. Was your favourite television program cancelled? Did a million people cry out, sign a petition, and then there was silence? What are the headlines from around the world about the Presidential election? (Hint: It need not be a U.S. Presidential election, other countries have presidents too.) You can write a story by clicking on their coverage below. What is the latest climate change news? What is the difference between British, American and Canadian public health advisories? What, if anything, has replaced Avian Flu as a major threat to humanity these days? What are people protesting, where, and why? Who is INTERPOL looking for, and what did he or she do? You can find answers to all these questions, and come up with your own, by exploring the links below. Happy writing.

Have a story? Stuck for ideas? You are in the right place

Need a little "wind in your sails"? You'll love this article: 11 layers article at The Poynter Institute Place to find ideas for articles #wikinews-feeds irc channel provides a ticker showing you the latest news from many sources. Government Statistics News in Selected Countries See also: Portal:World Locations chosen by availability in English language United Kingdom - a news goldmine for UK stats that you can write about. Constantly updating not only things such as the average height and weight of a child in the UK, but current market trends, tourism trends, press releases. Ireland - Are the Irish travelling more? Where do they travel to? How much do they make now? What do they do die of, and are they raping/killing/robbing each other more, or less, than they were last year? If these questions grab you, write a story. United States A site that leads you to everything you could possibly want to know about the United States, its agencies and statistics. This is a site if you know what you're curious about: it's Spartan, but it will lead to anything you may want to know about America, from Department of Energy press releases to how many obese people live in Eau Claire, Wisconsin. Australian government's site detailing a range of Australian statistics. You can also go to their media releases, Essentially: a site perfect for those with an Australian headline in mind, but perhaps less of use for the casual story idea seeker. New Zealand A site that is frequently updated. May requires some inventiveness to rework titles such as "Births at 44 Year High", "More beverages available with less alcohol content", back the data up with additional sources and create an article then you are welcome to attempt to write it. South Africa's statistics have a reputation for worthwhile information being less-easy to extract. [1] This is a model site for the people, and prime for OR story ideas. From employment to gas sales to hourly earnings to family violence. You can hunt around on here and come up with a Canadian angle. India a site that will appeal to the amateur anthropologist in all of us. In such a multi-dimensional society, a site that is "just the facts, please' and is better for researching pre-conceived questions than to surf for possible angles for a story. English News Sources From Around the World See also: Portal:Politics and conflicts This is a collection of a few English language sources for various countries and organizations. For even more sources by region, including native language resources, please see Wikinews:Global Networking. Asia See also: Portal:Asia Association of Southeast Asian Nations press releases, and site includes scheduled meetings and events BBC South Asia International Herald Tribune Asia, the International venture of the New York Times. Hindustan times, an Indian news company Deccan Chronicle, an Indian news company The Hindu, The second most circulated English-language newspaper in India Al Jazeera A Qatar based news company Japan Today A Japanese news company CNA, an English language Asian news network based in Singapore India A way to find court cases: e-Court services, which is run by Government of India can be helpful, with CRN number required to search any case. Explanation using an example: Consider searching a court case handled by the Meghalaya High Court's SR Sen. Go to their official website. Under Services, click "Judgements". Click on "Judge wise" under "Case Orders". Select the name of the judge from drop-down. This may prove helpful to get the complete hearing of the case, unlike how the Indian MSM trims the case study. It would be good to add a link to the original hearing as external link, or even use it as a valid source. Africa and Middle East See also: Portal:Africa See also: Portal:Middle East (more Middle East sources) Save Darfur press releases - an important story of our time, some attempts to keep it updated on here should be made African Union News and Events BBC Middle East Arab News The First English Daily Newspaper in Saudi Arabia, published simultaneously from Jeddah, Riyadh and Dhahran Al Jazeera, controversial Arabic news services English site Israel See also: Portal:Israel Haaretz, Israel Daily with a respected reputation; widely read in Israel, Hebrew and English ynet, popular Israel Daily; widely read in Israel, Hebrew and English Jerusalem Post, English language daily; not widely read in Israel but influential in the United States; reputation as conservative (even neoconservative) Palestinian Authority news from the Middle East Media Research Center, an "independent, nonpartisan, nonprofit, 501 (c)3 organization. MEMRI's headquarters is located in Washington, DC with branch offices in London, Tokyo, Rome, Baghdad and Jerusalem. MEMRI research is translated to English, German, Hebrew, Italian, French, Spanish and Japanese." South Africa See also: Portal:South Africa The Times, South Africa's oldest Sunday newspaper Mail and Guardian (South Africa) breaking news The Star Johannesburg-based daily, city's oldest newspaper Americas Canada See also: Portal:Canada Macleans, a widely-read weekly news magazine. Globe and Mail Canada's "New York Times" National Post, National paper owned by News Corp. with intent to take on Globe & Mail; has come up in respectability Canada.com, very comprehensive and free website run by one of Canada's mega-giant media companies,CanWest Global Communications Chile See also: Portal:Chile Santiago Times United States See also: Portal:United States The Hill US Congressional News Washington Times Europe Ireland See also: Portal:Ireland Irish Times Irish Independent Irish Examiner's breaking Irish news United Kingdom See also: Portal:United Kingdom Oceania See also: Wikinews:Global Networking/Oceania Australia See also: Portal:Australia Sydney Morning Herald, founded in 1831 as the Sydney Herald, the SMH is the oldest continuously-published newspaper in Australia. The Age, a broadsheet daily newspaper, which has been published in Melbourne since 1854 The Australian, the first national paper, a News Corp. property New Zealand See also: Portal:New Zealand New Zealand Herald International English language Agence France news ticker. Only headlines, but excellent to find out quick soundbites and updated. Write the stories to the headlines you read here on Wikinews. Just research it using other sources. United Nations News Service, the UN's news site Japan Today, magazine-style news items about Japanese business and politics, with discussion groups China Daily (PROC government-controlled) Internet See also: Portal:Internet YouTube clips that are making news - has something shown up on YouTube recently people are talking about (and you should write about)? Online Journalism News (UK) "The Essential Site for Journalists" Wikileaks (currently inoperative, see Here for status Drudge Report, say what you will, he breaks stories and everyone reads him. Important during 2008 election; so many links to so many political sites, that alone makes it good for research Huffington Post, same as Drudge, and very notable columnists. Political news aggregators and other features make it handy for research Government White House press briefings United Nations press releases CIA World Fact Book has statistics, maps, etc. May be copyright free material because produced by US government Federal Bureau of Investigation press room UK Intelligence Community Online, records, useful links INTERPOL News UNESCO, the UN's scientific and cultural exchange organization's press room OPEC press releases from everyone's favorite oil cartel. Economy and business See also: Portal:Economy and business International organizations data United Nations Statistics Division - Economic statistics World Trade Organization statistics and resources on international trade World Bank Data and statistics European Union's Eurostat International Monetary Fund Country Statistics Government business/economic resources US Securities and Exchange Commission online company filings US Executive Office of Management and Budget news releases UK Financial Services Authority, governmental body regulates financial services National Bureau of Statistics, Chinese government's English site United States Patent and Trademark Office Press Releases News media Yahoo! Finance, a good resource for company press releases, stock quotes, and business news. Economist Magazine has gotten much better about offering free content Los Angeles Times Business Media Wire Bloomberg News Markets Market news from NASDAQ FTSE (London) news New York Stock Exchange Daily Market Summary Industries Oil & Gas Journal, petroleum industry focus Military, Defense and War Army Times, U.S. Army's News Website Jane's Defence Weekly, nothing short of the world's premiere defense news reporting and analysis British Army News, pretty lo-fi site United States Central Command Media Search, all public domain and free NATO Press releases - they issue quite a few Terrorism News from Yahoo! Iraq Coalition Casualty Count, Iraq war-related news and figures

Media, culture and entertainment See also: Portal:Culture and entertainment Music See also: Portal:Music Billboard Magazine Music News Wire MTV News headlines New Musical Express (UK) music industry news, particular emphasis on British artists Art See also: [[::Category:Art|:Category:Art]] Artnet news, including art market trends, upcoming events, international The Art Newspaper includes the drama and intrigue of the art scene Film See also: Portal:Film British Film Institute press and media office - press releases, and media for use in articles Upcoming Movies from Rotten Tomatoes Film Festivals.com a very comprehensive site of news, schedules, awards, on the international film festival circuit. Variety Magazine, Oscar, film, television, entertainment news Box Office Mojo for information on films, box office receipts and international gross. Australian Film Commission news and events Journalism and media See also: [[::Category:Media|:Category:Media]] Worldwide Press Freedom Index (2006) put out by Reporters Without Borders. North Korea, Turkmenistan, Eritrea the worst violators of press freedom. Columbia Journalism Review's Who Owns What, a guide to what the major media companies own Editor & Publisher Magazine, a publication written by the mainstream media that tracks the mainstream media. Stay Free Magazine, explores the politics, mass media and American culture. Gawker, the original lookey-loo reporting of the famous, but some interesting research and resources, and nowhere near as vile as TMZ Media Matters, media watchdog organization. Fairness and Accuracy In Reporting, media watchdog group Theatre See also: [[::Category:Theatre|:Category:Theatre]] Broadway World, Broadway and theater news (NYC) Broadway.com in London - theatre news from London's West End. The Opera Critic - Opera News Books See also: [[::Category:Literature|:Category:Literature]] New York Times Best Sellers, book lists and reviews Times (UK) Book best sellers and reviews Fashion See also: [[::Category:New York Fashion Week|:Category:New York Fashion Week]] British Vogue Daily News (women) GQ mens fashion news and features Style.com fashion show reviews. Conde Nast site. Television See also: Portal:Television TV.com, which shows are renewed, which are canceled. Who has been asking for more money. Television Ratings News Major Global Cities: Press Releases City of London; Mayor of London; London Assembly See also: [[::Category:London|:Category:London]] New York State; New York City See also: Portal:New York Washington, D.C. See also: Portal:Washington, D.C. Sydney See also: [[::Category:Sydney|:Category:Sydney]] Dublin See also: [[::Category:Dublin|:Category:Dublin]] Los Angeles See also: [[::Category:Los Angeles, California|:Category:Los Angeles, California]] Journals and Scholarship Google Scholar, which indexes the full text of scholarly research journals CiteSeer public search engine and digital library for scientific and academic papers. Deaths, Medical and Health See also: Portal:Health Australia Australia Institute of Health and Welfare, government site for health statistics and news releases Canada Health Canada, government site with advisories, warnings and recalls. United Kingdom Department of Health News Releases NHS Choices - Behind the Headlines - "unbiased and evidence-based analysis of health stories that make the news" United States Food and Drug Administration Public Health Advisories Centers for Disease Control News Releases (US) National Center for Health Statistics International Latest Avian Flu News from the WHO World Health Organization Country Statistics Health Square.com information on Prescription Drug Indications, Dosage, Warnings and Possible Interactions; Color Pill Images; Patient Information Pamphlets, outlining what to expect when dealing with various conditions, required tests and treatments; and detailed information and color illustrations regarding the diagnosis, cause and treatment of most major health problems. Obituaries See also: Portal:Obituaries Recent Deaths Category at Wikipedia, for articles that contain the {{Recent death}} tag IsStillAlive.com, website dedicated to finding the life status of someone. New York Times (US) Los Angeles Times (US) Times (UK) Irish Times Environment, Science and technology See also: Portal:Science and technology Science Daily's global warming news Alternative Energy Wire Stories from Yahoo! National Hurricane Center hurricane season in the US runs June 1 to November 30 CiteSeer public search engine and digital library for scientific and academic papers. Thomson Scientific Science Citation Index - find journals, etc. Protests and media releases Eworldwire, a site that presents and disseminates news and video the article subject's want you to know, from their perspective but uses due diligence and other verification methods. Protest.net, a global site listing information about protest events and locations. PR Newswire, a site that presents news the article subject's want you to know, from their perspective Advocacy groups and activists People for the American Way Press Releases (liberal) Brookings Institute press release (moderate) Manhattan Institute conservative think tank articles American Center for Law and Justice the 'conservative ACLU' American Civil Liberties Union liberal human rights legal group Americans for Tax Reform, press releases (conservative) Wikimedia Research and Tools See also: Portal:Wikimedia Arbitration Committee Open tasks Wikimedia Commons media search, because you want to always illustrate your story; be creative Planet Wikimedia Wikipedia Review, disaffected former editors of Wikipedia bias, but plays decent watchdog role Wikipedia Signpost Wikipedia Page Traffic Counter Wikipedia Scanner, to find out who edits what pages. Legal Research See also: Portal:Crime and law United States Cornell University Law School's Legal Information Institute - Links to US federal and state statutes, cases, etc. The Public Library of Law - The largest free law library on the Internet The National Archives Congressional records Accredited Reporter's Corner Professionalism See also: Wikinews:Code of Ethics www.iapcworld.org International Association of Press Clubs - join your local. They are often not expensive, and can assist with knowledge and helping you gain access to police press passes, events, et. al. It is also another credential. Reporters Without Borders - Online press freedom organization; has an interesting Handbook for bloggers and cyber-dissidents. Freedom House Global Press Freedom 2007: Threats to Media Independence Your rights as a reporter and photographer Australia State of Free Speech in Australia, complaints by Australian media giants about restrictions on reporters. Why Australians Don't Respect the Media interesting article and survey on Australian attitudes. New Zealand Unlawful Photography in Public Places: the New Zealand Position, (2006), suggests the courts have ruled that journalists are exempt from public photography laws. United Kingdom UK Photographers Rights A short guide to photographers rights in the UK. United States USA TODAY article that is an excellent overview of what you can photograph and what you can publish (US law) The Photographer’s Right, A Downloadable Flyer Explaining Your Rights When Stopped or Confronted for Photography The Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press Freedom of Information Act news and information about when you want to know something from the government Writing help Thesaurus.com Columbia Journalism Review Language Resource Guide "Making the world a better-written place." Language Translation Services Babelfish at Altavista Dictionary.com Google Translation

After You Research Your Article: Images

Wikinews Picture of the Year 2007: A good image in a news article will relate instantly to the viewer as many important elements of the topic as possible. See also: Wikinews:Image use policy You need images for your articles Images, such as the one in the opening paragraph courtesy of the French Wikinews, or the current English Wikinews Picture of the Year, are as important as the text. When an image is present in a story, no matter how good the prose the image can make or break a reader's impression. A good Wikinews reporter will contemplate aspects of their story, and find free media (or fair use) to illustrate their story. For instance, on Wikipedia there is an article about Mark Barnes, a notable attorney some readers might find uninteresting. But on that page you can see how media can be used to make a subject dynamic; for instance, a letter written by the subject's students and a portrait of his ancestor, Daniel Boone, are incorporated. Look for the interesting, relevant angle when you choose media. Where to find images Wikimedia Commons Your first stop for stock photos. The easiest way of finding freely licensed images is to search the Wikimedia Commons project. All images on Commons are freely licensed and can be used in articles as if they are hosted locally. Wikipedia as a photo Sherpa Another option is to look at any relevant Wikipedia articles and see if any appropriate images are available there but note that not all images on Wikipedia are freely licensed and if that is the case then their use here must also comply with fair use. In theory Wikipedia editors have come to consensus as to the best photos to illustrate a topic, although the surest judgment is to search the Commons. Still, Wikipedia, or another Wikimedia Foundation project, may be organized in a manner that makes it easy to find a good stock photo for a news article you can freely use. If a freely licensed image still cannot be located then it may be possible to find one on an external website which you can upload to Commons. It is important that it is explicitly stated that the image is released under a compatible licence, see Commons:Licensing for information. There are likely to be exceptions but the websites listed below are known to host some freely licensed image files. If after searching a freely licensed image cannot be located then consider asking a photographer to release an image under a compatible licence, see Wikipedia:Requesting copyright permission for advice on doing this. If all else fails, try theses sites for free media Flickr, note that only the Attribution (CC-BY) and the Attribution ShareAlike (CC-BY-SA) licences are permitted National Archives, it may take some hunting, but it's all free NASA Images all free, space, sun, moons, stars US Government archive of free photos; seems like a lot on offer of random things few people need. But worth a look. Library of Congress Memory project. Very historical. Unless Alexander Graham Bell fits in your story, may have trouble with modern topics. yotophoto like google images, but for free photos (be warned their definition of free sometimes differs from wikimedia's)