Wikipedia talk:Newspapers.com

Access is being restored!

TL;DR: To regain access to Newspapers.com please go to https://wikipedialibrary.wmflabs.org/partners/26/ and click Apply. Access requests will be processed and sent to Newspapers.com over the coming weeks.

Newspapers.com have agreed to move back to our old method of granting access, whereby users must first register at Newspapers.com, then apply via The Wikipedia Library, and then accounts are upgraded to a subscribing one by Newspapers.com. We have updated Newspapers.com to accept applications in the library, so you can apply now! This change is unfortunately mutually exclusive with the limited proxy-based access working, so any of the technical workarounds that have been discussed here should no longer work, along with any proxy-based access to Newspapers.com. I hope you agree that this brief bump will be worth it in the long run. As a reminder, this change means that you will need to renew your access on a yearly basis. If you have an email configured in The Wikipedia Library you should receive an email a few weeks before this expiry to remind you to submit an extension request, but brief yearly loss of access may be a side effect of this access method. The good news is that this access method means that you shouldn't encounter any technical problems besides normal operational problems on Newspapers.com's end, which should be few and resolved quickly - otherwise the website should work just as if you were a normal customer.

We are planning to directly notify all users who have used Newspapers.com via the proxy over the past year separately to this announcement.

Thanks may be directed towards @VSj (WMF), who has been working tirelessly to find a way forward with Newspapers.com :) Samwalton9 (WMF) (talk) 16:03, 23 September 2024 (UTC)

Cannot say enough about how grateful myself and others are for the work you and others have done in getting this restored @Samwalton9 (WMF)! Hey man im josh (talk) 18:34, 23 September 2024 (UTC)

That is so fantastic. My best to all. I know it was very hard, and believe me I think we all appreciate the effort involved to get it back online. Coretheapple (talk) 19:20, 23 September 2024 (UTC)

Oh good, it was better the old way. ~WikiOriginal-9~ (talk) 20:16, 23 September 2024 (UTC)

True, but at least now we're getting access. I had no idea how much I'd relied on this source. ProQuest just doesn't have the same array of regional newspapers. Coretheapple (talk) 17:35, 30 September 2024 (UTC)

Let me clarify, the current method of logging in directly through Newspapers.com is the old way. I didn't like the Wikipedia Library login method. ~WikiOriginal-9~ (talk) 18:49, 9 January 2025 (UTC)

Many thanks to all who worked on restoring access via individual accounts! It was good to have access through the Wikipedia Library, but it's better to be able to create clippings once more. Eddie Blick (talk) 01:45, 10 January 2025 (UTC)

And we're back! Very excited to see my problem was an access problem, and that the foundation has worked to restore access. Local newspapers are enormously important to biographers, historians, movie lovers, and sports writers on Wikipedia. I've checked out some of the previously non-working links I've applied and so far everything's back. Thanks, newspapers.com! Thanks User:Samwalton9 (WMF) and all the nice folks at the foundation which keep alive our mission of free knowledge for everybody. BusterD (talk) 12:57, 5 March 2025 (UTC)

Spoke too soon. System allows me to see all my account info, but I'm a non-member and they want my cc info... BusterD (talk) 13:31, 5 March 2025 (UTC)

@BusterD Thanks for the kind words. You will need to file an application to have your access reinstated under this new system, like the system worked pre-2023 or so. You should see an Apply or Renew button at https://wikipedialibrary.wmflabs.org/partners/26/. We'll then get your request sent off to Newspapers.com so they can configure your account. Samwalton9 (WMF) (talk) 16:17, 5 March 2025 (UTC)

Following up. Once I actually reapplied as you directed, it took about a week to process. Thanks very much! Between Newspaperarchive and newspapers.com, we have an enormous amount of material to help us with US history and popular culture. BusterD (talk) 13:42, 19 March 2025 (UTC)

What is newspaperarchive? Bgsu98 (Talk) 13:52, 19 March 2025 (UTC)

It's part of the Wikipedia Library suite of sourcing. https://access-newspaperarchive-com.wikipedialibrary.idm.oclc.org/ BusterD (talk) 00:24, 20 March 2025 (UTC)

Thank you, I will check it out! Bgsu98 (Talk) 01:05, 20 March 2025 (UTC)

Still problems?

Is anyone else still having issues with logging in (and staying logged in) and using the search features of Newspapers.com? I keep getting an error: "Application error: a client-side exception has occurred (see the browser console for more information)." I have tried Safari, Chrome, and Firefox, all updated to the latest version, and the error occurs on all three whenever I try and do a search. Once it errors, it won't even let me access the site. I also have been unable to log in all 2024, with the login button always grayed out. The only way I have been able to use the site is accessing an old link to a newspaper page and manually navigating through newspapers that way, but again, I can't search. If I need to search, I have to go through the main website (not the Wikipedia Library version), browse to something that looks good, copy/paste the link into the Wikipedia Library versions' http address, and then view the article. It's becoming a major problem.

I don't seem to have the Application error problem on my work computer, but I can't use that one for non-work purposes. I also can't log into my own account on that computer either, so the Application error and log-in error seem to be unrelated issues. And for the record, I have cleared the caches on all three browsers, restarted my computer (many times), disabled JavaScript (which doesn't work since Newspapers.com needs JS to work properly) and done everything else I've seen online as potential means of resolving browser-based Application errors.

Does anyone have a solution to this? – Whaleyland (Talk • Contributions) 07:25, 9 January 2025 (UTC)

The Wikipedia Library login link doesn't work anymore. Everything is done directly through Newspapers.com again, see "Access is being restored!" above. Try logging into your account directly at Newspapers.com. If you don't have an account, see here to apply for one. ~WikiOriginal-9~ (talk) 18:46, 9 January 2025 (UTC)

Thanks for nothing that message — I thought it was an earlier message I had seen last time I had a problem. I should have checked the date stamp. I guess I will just have to wait for my approval to go through. Cheers! – Whaleyland (Talk • Contributions) 23:37, 10 January 2025 (UTC)

Any way to make citing newspapers.com clips simpler?

I use newspapers.com a lot and I use the clippings feature so that other people can see the source material. However I find that going through the manual "cite news" template when I add the source to an article involves retyping a lot of information (title, author, date, name of publication) which is in the source material. The Citer tool only gives a "cite web" output which isn't what I am looking for. Is there another tool somewhere which makes citing newspapers.com source material simpler? Thank you. Jessamyn (my talk page) 18:41, 23 February 2025 (UTC)

This is what works for me: Click "+" then "automatic" then paste in the link for the clipping. It should fill in most of the fields for you. You still need to add "via=Newspapers.com". (If you format the clipping name as "Title/Author" it will even add the author's name properly.) Penny Richards (talk) 22:22, 6 March 2025 (UTC)

Thank you. I think my issue is that I am using the source editor and it is not as full-featured. I will try your suggestion. Thank you. Jessamyn (my talk page) 23:48, 6 March 2025 (UTC)

Unable to archive Newspapers.com clippings

"An added feature is that links to clipped articles that begin with https://www.newspapers.com can be archived by archive.org. Links to image pages will not be usefully archived." This does not seem to be working. This is what I just got. Bgsu98 (Talk) 19:16, 26 February 2025 (UTC)

I've noticed that as well, for about the last month. Archive.today still works, but they seem to be blocking archive.org. It isn't a positive move for long-term verifiability. Nick Number (talk) 20:54, 26 February 2025 (UTC)

This looks like this is a Cloudfare allowlist setting that Newspapers.com can likely turn on. Does Wikimedia have a corporate contact at Newspapers.com to reach out to here? --Engineerchange (talk) 20:58, 26 February 2025 (UTC)

We'll ask about this! Samwalton9 (WMF) (talk) 08:25, 27 February 2025 (UTC)

Newspapers.com looked into this and has informed us now that they can see traffic coming from archive.org user agent string and the requests are completing successfully. Can you check and let me know if this issue persists, please? VSj (WMF) (talk) 09:01, 14 April 2025 (UTC)

I was able to archive some Newspapers.com clippings the other day. 😃 Bgsu98 (Talk) 09:04, 14 April 2025 (UTC)

Thanks for the heads up :D Timur9008 (talk) 14:37, 14 April 2025 (UTC)

I just tried archiving a clipping and got "The capture failed because Save Page Now does not have access rights https://www.newspapers.com/article/santa-barbara-news-press-directors-wife/169571088/ (HTTP status=403)." Nick Number (talk) 15:54, 14 April 2025 (UTC)

Looks like I spoke too soon. I got "Get access to this page with a 7-day free trial" when I tried archiving a clipping

[1]

Everything worked fine yesterday. Timur9008 (talk) 05:49, 15 April 2025 (UTC)

It's working for me now. Nick Number (talk) 23:04, 23 April 2025 (UTC)

Hmm, I take it back. Several clippings did archive successfully, but now I'm getting "The capture failed because Save Page Now does not have access rights" again on this one. Nick Number (talk) 23:23, 23 April 2025 (UTC)

Oddly, I was able to save that page on archive.org, See https://web.archive.org/web/20250424020709/https://www.newspapers.com/article/chicago-tribune-capone-effort-to-influen/170960446/ One thing is that I was logged in to my archive.org account, I wonder if that would make a difference. Also, the archive process seemed to take longer than usual. I too noticed that awhile back archive.org was not able to archive newspapers.com links. I'm not sure what's up here. Cxbrx (talk) 02:10, 24 April 2025 (UTC)

I was logged into archive.org during all of my attempts. This may be some tricky interaction of servers behind load balancers. Nick Number (talk) 04:38, 24 April 2025 (UTC)

Still no access

A number of us have received our email from wikipedia noting appoval, but have not been notified by newspapers.com - and still don't have access. Are we supposed to post that here or over here. Phatblackmama (talk) 22:59, 1 March 2025 (UTC)

@Phatblackmama Just to confirm - if you log in to Newspapers.com with the account email you provided in your application, does your account definitely not have access? Samwalton9 (WMF) (talk) 12:16, 5 March 2025 (UTC)

@Samwalton9 (WMF) Yes. I just logged out and logged back in (thinking that might help) and this as my current status: "You're currently a Registered Guest. This free subscription gets you access to search newspapers but you will not be able to view the full page. Get a paid subscription for access." As you can see over here, other wikipedians who were also approved last month are having the same issue. Phatblackmama (talk) 18:33, 5 March 2025 (UTC)

Got it - we'll look into it. Samwalton9 (WMF) (talk) 12:33, 6 March 2025 (UTC)

Thank you. Got the email from newspapers.com this morning. My account status now says: “Complimentary Publisher Extra® Annual.” Good through March 5, 2026. Thank you for taking care of this. Greatly appreciated. Phatblackmama (talk) 16:43, 6 March 2025 (UTC)

@Phatblackmama Glad to hear! If anyone else comes along here with access that isn't working, just let us know. Samwalton9 (WMF) (talk) 15:12, 7 March 2025 (UTC)