Research Guides: Politics in the Philadelphia Metropolitan Area: Getting ideas

Getting ideas

Following news reports is essential to getting a grip on how local politics works.

There are two databases that cover local news.. The two largest local newspapers are the Philadelphia Inquirer and the Philadelphia Daily News. PressReader covers regional news sources. Billy Penn covers metro Philadelphia.

Philadelphia Inquirer (1983-present) This link opens in a new window
Full-text of the Philadelphia Inquirer via Proquest Newsstand from 1983 to present.
Philadelphia Daily News This link opens in a new window
Full-text of the Philadelphia Daily News via Proquest Newsstand from 1983 to present.

Billy Penn
"Billy Penn is an independent media organization that strives to provide just the right mix of serious and lighthearted news about Philadelphia."
Spotlight PA - Pa. election 2022: A basic guide to vetting candidates for U.S. Senate, governor, and more
Generally useful outline for researching candidates, with links to 2022 sources.
Philadelphia Inquirer Online
The online site of the Philadelphia Inquirer. Some content is behind a paywall, but can be accessed with the database for text of articles.

Ethnic Newswatch This link opens in a new window
Concurrent user limit: 12
Ethnic NewsWatch is a full-text collection of the newspapers, magazines and journals of the ethnic, minority and native press.
GenderWatch This link opens in a new window
GenderWatch is a database of diverse publications that focus on how gender impacts a broad spectrum of subject areas. Publications include scholarly journals, magazines, newspapers, newsletters, regional publications, books and NGO, government and special reports.

.Pew Philadelphia Research Initiative State of the City Annual Reports "research highlights the essential facts about Philadelphia, its residents, neighborhoods, and major issues. From demographics, to culture and government, to residents’ opinions, “State of the City” is a data-dashboard for the benefit of both the public and leaders who are driving the city’s future."

Encyclopedia of Greater Philadelphia - Government and Politics is a civic project based at the Mid-Atlantic Regional Center for the Humanities (MARCH) at Rutgers-Camden,

The Committee of Seventy is an important local watchdog group focusing on elections and reform.

Reference Librarian