Tips for Journalists: How to access & customize the LexisNexis database

Research is the basic starting point for developing story ideas, gathering information, and fact-checking. Among the places to start is using LexisNexis — a database of legal, business, government, high-tech, and news articles. Many of these articles are not available through a basic Internet search because they are behind a paywall.

With millions of articles within the LexisNexis database, it can be easy to get lost in the database. Knowing how to customize it for your reporting purposes is key.

Register to join the National Press Club Journalism Institute for a webinar to learn how to use and customize LexisNexis on Friday, May 17, from 11:30 a.m. ET to 12:30 p.m. ET. 

Award-winning investigative reporter and editor Brad Hamilton will walk participants through how to customize LexisNexis to source stories, find unexpected story angles, and to identify and reach potential sources through LexisNexis’ Contact References database.

While LexisNexis is a fee-based database service, some newsrooms provide access to staff. Most public libraries provide access to their communities, and National Press Club members have free access to the LexisNexis database as part of their annual membership. Hamilton also will offer journalists an avenue for accessing LexisNexis at a steep discount.

About the speaker

Brad Hamilton is a reporter, writer, and editor with more than 30 years of experience in investigative journalism and features. He serves as editor-in-chief at The Hatch Institute (formerly the Contently Foundation), a nonprofit dedicated to investigative journalism. 

About the National Press Club Journalism Institute

The National Press Club Journalism Institute promotes an engaged global citizenry through an independent and free press, and equips journalists with skills and standards to inform the public in ways that inspire a more representative democracy. As the non-profit affiliate of the National Press Club, the Institute powers journalism in the public interest.

The Institute depends on grants, foundation funds, and contributions from individuals like you. Your donation today allows the Institute to offer the majority of its programming at no cost.