Engaging Students with Historical Newspapers in an Environmental Journalism Course

As the first rough draft of history, historical newspapers can give contemporary researchers a view into past events and how they were reported. As primary sources, the use of newspapers in education can foster inquiry-based learning, a pedagogical approach that can enhance students’ critical thinking skills. As part of a Library of Congress Teaching with Primary Sources Program grant, the author partnered with a journalism professor to integrate the use of newspapers as primary sources in an environmental journalism course offered to undergraduate and graduate students at the University of Arizona. Articles on various environmentally related topics were selected from historical Arizona newspapers, which were shared with the students during a library class session. Students worked in groups to examine the newspaper reporting on different topics of concern in Arizona, such as forest fires, mining, and dams and water issues. Students then engaged in an activity of observing, reflecting, and questioning to analyze the newspaper articles as primary sources. The author created an evaluation worksheet – adapted and expanded from the Library of Congress’ Teacher’s Guide to Analyzing Newspapers – which guided the students in thinking about news content. They were asked to consider the significance of placement of news stories (e.g., above or below the fold, front page or not), who the audience might be, and what else was reported in the newspaper at the same time. Because the course included both journalism and non-journalism science majors, students were encouraged to think not only about how environmental issues were reported, but also how reflecting on historical news coverage can inform their own environmental journalism. This paper describes details of the library class, including the library guide, newspaper articles used in the course, and the evaluation guide, and considers how newspapers as primary sources can be used in education.