Primary sources in the AI age: How historical newspapers build critical thinkers

"It is the raw material of history; it is the story of our own times." When historian Henry Steel Commager wrote these words about newspapers, he couldn't have imagined a future where AI would generate instant "historical" narratives. With AI now the top technology priority for over 60% of academic libraries according to the 2024 Pulse of the Library report from Clarivate, librarians face a key challenge: how to equip students with rigorous research skills when they can bypass primary source analysis entirely?

The Risk to Students of Fast, AI-Generated Answers

The need for information literacy isn't new, but AI amplifies this need exponentially. When general search engines serve instant AI-generated answers and AI tools draft research papers, students risk losing the ability to conduct deep, nuanced research. Directing students to engaging and important resources such as historical newspapers provides a powerful solution, grounding research in reliable resources that inspire serendipitous discovery with rich context. Through a subscription to ProQuest Historical Newspapers: Global, institutions gain access to an unparalleled collection of over 200 premier newspaper titles, providing the continuity, depth and breadth necessary for meaningful primary source research that AI simply cannot replicate.

Historical newspapers offer hands-on, inquiry-driven learning. Students connect with raw material: news stories, headlines, editorials, advertisements and images. They ask: Who wrote this? For whom? Why this framing? What voices are missing?

ProQuest Historical Newspapers: Global supports this approach, providing over 200 premier titles from first edition to current coverage — an unbroken chain of authentic voices spanning three centuries.

An Antidote to The Demand For Fast Answers

ProQuest Historical Newspapers: Global provides an unmatched historical record. Students browse newspapers exactly as they first appeared, complete with original articles, photos, obituaries, advertisements and editorials in authentic context. This comprehensive resource includes titles unavailable elsewhere, such as The New York Times and other major global papers. Its six specialized collections eliminate the need for multiple database subscriptions:

• • ProQuest Historical Newspapers: U.S. Metro Collection: 17 of America's most influential newspapers including The New York Times, Wall Street Journal, The Washington Post, and Chicago Tribune from 1764-current
  • ProQuest Historical Newspapers: U.S. Collection: 130+ local newspapers covering 36 states, capturing community voices from 1786 to today
  • ProQuest Historical Newspapers: International Collection: 18 premier newspapers from around the world including The Guardian, Le Monde, Sydney Morning Herald, and The Times of India chronicling world events from 1791 to the present day
  • ProQuest Historical Newspapers: Canada Collection: 15 significant Canadian newspapers from five provinces, 1785 to today
  • ProQuest Historical Newspapers: Black Newspaper Collection: 14 African American publications documenting the Black experience in the U.S., 1893-2010
  • ProQuest Historical Newspapers: U.S. Jewish Newspaper Collection: Four Jewish American newspapers covering immigration and community history, 1854-2020

Building Critical Thinking Through Real Examples

The ACRL's draft AI Competencies for Academic Library Workers (March 2025) emphasizes that library workers must help students "critically evaluate sources of information about AI for accuracy and bias." Historical newspapers provide an ideal training ground for developing these skills.

For example, ProQuest's resource guide "Plagues, Epidemics, Peculiar Beliefs and Practices through Time" shows how newspapers provided varying coverage of the 1918 flu pandemic, reflecting different regional perspectives and policies. The Manchester Guardian described a "mysterious plague" affecting world leaders, while The St. Louis Post-Dispatch published photos of masked Red Cross workers and the San Francisco Chronicle documented "mask slackers" facing $10 fines (equivalent to nearly $275 today).

When students compare these varying accounts, they learn to ask crucial questions: Who created this content and why? What perspective does it reflect? What context am I missing? These same analytical skills become essential when evaluating AI-generated content that may inherit biases from its training data.

Preparing Critical Thinkers For Tomorrow

As AI becomes ubiquitous in research, students need stronger critical thinking skills to navigate an unreliable information landscape. Historical newspapers provide authentic sources and hands-on analysis essential for developing these skills. Students who learn to evaluate bias, verify facts and trace information to its source through primary materials will be better equipped to critically assess content, including AI-generated research.

Request a free trial and subscription information for ProQuest Historical Newspapers: Global.