LibGuides: American Political Elections: Political Media and News Sources

Political News Sources

Many news sources cover politics. Below we have some listed, but for a more complete guide to news sources at the Bentley Library, please see the following:

Current News
by Katie Leahy Last Updated Aug 27, 2025 7722 views this year

Use your Bentley credentials to access these databases from off campus!

Nexis Uni
Offers access to law research, company information, and current news sources from both the United States and around the world.
ProQuest US Newsstream
Provides access to content from various newspapers, wires, etc. from the United States. Coverage begins in the 1980s, though may vary by publication.
Boston Globe (ProQuest)
Full-text coverage of the Boston Globe from 1980-present. For articles that appear on the Boston Globe website, use Boston Globe (Online) instead.
New York Times (ProQuest)
Online access to the New York Times from 1980-Present.
Wall Street Journal (ProQuest)
Full text coverage of the Wall Street Journal from 1984-present.

Checking the Facts

CQ Researcher
This library database contains specialized, detailed reports on controversial issues, from the federal budget to same-sex marriage.

Commission on Presidential Debates
Videos, transcripts, and other resources about the Presidential and Vice Presidential debates.
Fact Checker
Award-winning website (with an accompanying print column) by Glenn Kessler, The Washington Post’s chief State Department reporter. Fact Checker reports on the truthfulness of statements made by political figures at all levels of government.
FactCheck.org
This organization monitors the factual accuracy of statements made by politicians. From the Annenberg Public Policy Center at the University of Pennsylvania.
Federal Election Commission (FEC)
Campaign finance reports.
OpenSecrets.org
OpenSecrets.org is the most comprehensive resource for federal campaign contributions, lobbying data and analysis available anywhere. Winner of the Society of Professional Journalists' 2013 award for Public Service in Online Journalism.
Politifact
A project of the Tampa Bay Times and other reporters that aims to gauge the truth of claims and promises made by politicians.

Election Media and Primary Sources

The resources below include links to archived campaign advertisements, presidential debates, speeches, and more.

The American Presidency Project
An archive by John Woolley and Gerhard Peters at UC, Santa Barbara, the American Presidency Project contains documents related to the American presidency including election data, nomination speeches, and political party platforms.
The Living Room Candidate, Presidential Campaign Commercials 1952-2020
This website provides access to political television commercials from presidential elections made available by the Museum of the Moving Image. Users can easily navigate by election year, type of commercial, or issue.
Political TV Ad Archive
Provided by the Internet Archive, the Political TV Ad Archive features advertisements from the 2016 election. Can search by candidates, sponsors, and more.
United States Elections Web Archive
A collection by the Library of Congress, the United States Elections Web Archive contains copies of campaign websites. 2000-present.
US Presidential Election Debates Series (Films on Demand)
This series of films includes televisied presidential election debates (from by ABC News). Note: Must log in with Bentley credentials to view from off-campus.
Google's Political Ad Database
Searchable database of political advertising on Google. Can search by advertiser, candidate, cost, dates, and more. From June 2018 - present.

Politics and the Media: Selected Book Resources

Changing Minds or Changing Channels?: Partisan News in the Age of Choice by Kevin Arceneaux; Martin Johnson
Call Number: Stacks PN1992.6 .A695 2013
Mass Media and American Politics by Doris A. Graber (Editor); Johanna Dunaway
Call Number: Stacks HN90 .M3 G7 2015
Partisan Journalism: A History of Media Bias in the United States by Jim A. Kuypers; Larry Schweikart
Call Number: Stacks PN4888 .O25 K84 2014