Your Library Card Can Break Paywalls — Here’s How to Use It to Fight Against Disinformation

Using libraries to find and share public-interest journalism for free is one path towards saving our democracy.

The decline of local journalism in the United States has been steep and steady. Pew Research Center data shows that newsroom employment fell by more than 50% between 2008 and 2020. Over 2,000 newspapers have shut down in the last 15 years, leaving more than 1,800 communities in “news deserts” with no local reporting. That vacuum has been filled with social media echo chambers, partisan propaganda, and billionaire-funded influence operations.

In this environment, extremist movements like Project 2025— billionaire-backed blueprints to dismantle the federal government and replace it with a theocratic, authoritarian system—thrive. A low-information electorate, unaware of the malevolent forces shaping political outcomes, is a great asset to those working to destroy our democracy.

Fascism’s rise is fueled by voters who never even saw the danger coming. Ultimately, it is the responsibility of all Americans to self-motivate and become high-information voters. Yet, too often the public-interest journalism that still exists in this country—and is issuing urgent warnings about attacks on democracy—is hidden behind paywalls.

The good news? Your local public library may already provide free access to paywalled newsrooms producing the kind of high quality journalism you need to spread far and wide in order to help your fellow Americans stay informed.

Through apps like PressReader, NewsBank, ProQuest, and others, your library card can unlock thousands of publications like The Philadelphia Inquirer, The Guardian, and The Economist. According to the Institute of Museum and Library Services, over 90% of public libraries provide electronic collections, which often include premium news databases.

And it’s not just apps. Libraries often subscribe to national and local papers and make them available on-site or via their own online portals. Some even give remote login credentials for otherwise paywalled sites. In many places you can even apply for a library card online, so there’s no need to even leave the house in order to stay informed!

Libraries Are a Public Defense System Against Authoritarianism

Libraries are one of the last publicly funded tools we have to fight back against a lawless Trump regime. They give us free access to factually accurate reporting that we must all spread in order to dilute fascist propaganda. After all, fascism only exists where propaganda is strong. Spreading public interest journalism weakens the ability of bad actors to manipulate our less-informed friends, neighbors, and colleagues.

Here’s what you can do:

• Get a library card — many systems let you register online in minutes.

• Explore your library’s digital offerings — look for PressReader, NewsBank, ProQuest, or local equivalents.

• Ask your librarians how to access paywalled outlets. They can walk you through it.

• Share this knowledge — let friends and family know they don’t have to live in a news desert.

• Spread helpful tools — this short video walks you through the process of using your library card to access PressReader’s offerings.

In an era when billionaires and political operatives are spending fortunes to control what we read, watch, and hear, public libraries are a rare, powerful defense in the information war.

Be sure to comment below about how you use your local library to stay informed, and more importantly, help make sure others are well-informed, too.

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