Research Guides: Social Work Policy & Practice: News Sources and Think Tanks

News sources

NexisUni

NexisUni is a good source for newspapers from the United States and other countries. After you run a search you can narrow results by different attributes such as geographical region, publication name or publication type. You can also limit by date range.

Major National Newspapers

The New York Times

The Wall Street Journal (Sign up for a free account with your SLU email)

The Washington Post

For St Louis and Missouri news

Use NexisUni to search the St. Louis Post-Dispatch

Journalism Center on Children & Families

The Journalism Center on Children & Families is a national nonprofit resource & training center committed to media coverage of children, youth and families, particularly the disadvantaged. Site includes updates on relevant news articles from major media sources as well as research, reports and data.

ProPublica

ProPublica is an independent, non-profit newsroom that produces investigative journalism in the public interest.

Government Resources

ProQuest Congressional This link opens in a new window
Includes full-text CRS reports from 2004-present. Use the Advanced search to limit your search to only CRS reports, or search under the "Research Reports Section.

Government Accountability Office
"The U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) is an independent, nonpartisan agency that works for Congress. Often called the "congressional watchdog," GAO investigates how the federal government spends taxpayer dollars. "
Congressional Budget Office
"CBO's mandate is to provide the Congress with objective, nonpartisan, and timely analyses to aid in economic and budgetary decisions on the wide array of programs covered by the federal budget and the information and estimates required for the Congressional budget process."
CRS Reports
The Congressional Research Service is a nonpartisan agency that produces research reports and briefs on major policy issues and any topic requested by a member of Congress. This official site is publicly available and includes recent reports. SLU database ProQuest Congressional includes historical reports going back to 1914.

Think Tanks

Public policy research institutes, or "think tanks" are another source for policy research. Additional organizations are listed under specific topic tags in this guide.

Brookings Institution
Mission: "to conduct in-depth research that leads to new ideas for solving problems facing society at the local, national and global level." Considered progressive.
Cato Institute
Mission: "dedicated to the principles of individual liberty, limited government, free markets and peace." Considered libertarian.
Center for American Progress
Mission: "dedicated to improving the lives of all Americans, through bold, progressive ideas, as well as strong leadership and concerted action." Considered liberal leaning.
Center on Budget and Policy Priorities
Mission: "We pursue federal and state policies designed both to reduce poverty and inequality and to restore fiscal responsibility in equitable and effective ways." Considered liberal leaning.
Heritage Foundation
Mission: "to formulate and promote conservative public policies based on the principles of free enterprise, limited government, individual freedom, traditional American values, and a strong national defense." Considered conservative.
Hoover Institution
Mission: "seeks to improve the human condition by advancing ideas that promote economic opportunity and prosperity, while securing and safeguarding peace for America and all mankind." Considered conservative leaning.
New America Foundation
Pew Research Center
Prosperity Now
Formerly CFED (Corporation for Enterprise Development)
Rand Corporation
Mission: to develop "solutions to public policy challenges to help make communities throughout the world safer and more secure, healthier and more prosperous." Unlike many think tanks, RAND Corporation started as a government contractor for the U.S. Air Force and continues to produce both federally funded and privately funded research. It is nonprofit. Considered independent.
The Russell Sage Foundation
A foundation devoted to research in the social sciences, it funds work primarily in the areas of Behavioral Economics; the Future of Work; Race, Ethnicity, and Immigration; and Social Inequality. Research and publishing are a focus, rather than advocacy and policy advancement.
Southern Poverty Law Center
The SPLC is a nonprofit legal advocacy organization, focusing on civil rights litigation, advocacy, and education. They also classify hate groups in America. Considered liberal.
Urban Institute
Economic and social policy research with a focus on the wide variety of policies that impact the urban community and environment. Considered liberal leaning.

Where's the Bias?

Media Bias/Fact Check
Think Tanks & news sources often have a perspective through which they see the world. That doesn't mean they're not credible sources, but it's important to recognize what the perspective of a source is, and take that into account when you analyze it. Ideally, you'll have sources from multiple perspectives. Media Bias/Fact Check can help you figure out the perspective, potential bias, and credibility of Think Tanks and news sources.